Back To The Past
by LilMissMoonRay
Summary: Harry and Ginny are somehow transported 8 years back in time. Now they find themselves trapped in their 15/14 year old bodies with their memories intact, surrounded by people who have been dead for years, and did I mention that Ginny is still pregnant?
1. Back To The Past

Harry stood in the doorway of his bedroom, watching the gentle rise and fall of the sheets that outlined the figure that was sleeping in the bed. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he listened to the soft breaths that echoed around the room.

He was happy. More than happy. Ecstatic would have been a more accurate word. Everything was going just as he wanted it to; his job as an Auror was going brilliantly- they had finally caught the last of the Death Eaters that had evaded capture after the Battle of Hogwarts; his godson, Teddy, was around everyday and seemed to love spending time with his godfather; the war had ended years ago and no one lived in fear anymore; he had an amazing wife, and just tonight he had received the best news he had probably ever heard in all his life.

He, Harry James Potter- the Boy-Who-Lived, The Chosen One, The Defeater of the Dark Lord- was going to be a father.

A rush of warmth flooded through his stomach as he thought about it. He was going to be a father. He was going to have a little baby boy or girl to dote upon and love and cherish. And it was all thanks to the beautiful red haired woman who was currently sleeping with her back to the door, in their bed.

As quietly as he could he moved further into the room, pulling off his shirt and jeans as he did, before slowly slipping under the covers next to the sleeping figure. The red headed woman softly sighed as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He buried his face into her hair before lightly kissing the back of her neck.

"I love you, Ginny Potter." He whispered into her ear. His hand slipped down to lie gently on her stomach. "I love you, baby."

And with one final sigh of happiness, Harry drifted off to sleep.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

It was the sunlight that drifted through his open curtains that woke him up the next morning. Harry grumbled under his breath and buried his face under the covers.

'_I could have swore I shut those curtains last night!_' he thought to himself. '_Maybe Ginny woke up early again. Although why she opened the curtains…_'

After a few more minutes of trying to ignore the bright light, Harry heaved a great sigh and, intending to get up and go to the bathroom, rolled over to climb out of bed.

_THUD!_

A sharp intake of breath was quickly followed by a long stream of curses. Harry clamped a hand to his forehead in a futile attempt to stop the headache that was forming. '_Stupid walls, getting in the way!_' he groaned in his head '_That's why it is never a good idea to put your bed against a wall…' _He paused for a moment. _'But… my bed _isn't_ against a wall…_'

With his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Harry sat up to look around his room. Only, the room he was in _wasn't _his bedroom. Or at least hadn't been in 6 years.

The hand that was pressed against his forehead fell limply to his side as he blankly took in his surroundings. The walls were a sickly peach colour that looked all too familiar. The carpet was threadbare and was so faded, it looked grey. A small and rickety desk stood in front of the window, a large silver cage perched on top of it amidst scraps of parchment and quills. A dingy wardrobe stood next to the pristine, white bedroom door, one of it's own doors hanging loose of it's hinges, showing the baggy grey clothes that hung inside.

The room he was in was his old bedroom at number four, Privet Drive.

Harry swallowed thickly.

"Well, shit."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ginny groaned into her pillow as a wave of nausea twisted her stomach. She swallowed the saliva that had started to pool in her mouth and began to take deep breaths. Apparently she had forgotten that for the past few weeks she had woken up every morning with the urge to throw up everything in her stomach.

'_If I wasn't so excited to have a baby, I would resent the little blob for making me feel like this!_'

She let out a louder groan as her stomach twisted again and struggled to get off the bed. With half opened eyes and one hand clamped to her mouth, Ginny stumbled her way across the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom.

Several minutes later, she pushed herself up from where she was crouched next to the toilet and turned the taps of the sink on. She splashed a few handfuls of water onto her face to try and wash away the light sheen of sweat and the feelings of sickness. Keeping her eyes shut to stop the water droplets from going into her eyes, Ginny blindly grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth before wiping the excess water off her face with her pyjama sleeve and lifting her head to look into the mirror.

What she saw made her scream.

Her face was different.

It was younger.

Her hair was sticking out at odd angles, the colour more flame like than she remembered it being. Her eyes, though bleary, held no traces of the small lines that had started to gather around them. Her face was rounder than it was last night and upon looking down at her body, she saw that her breasts were smaller and her whole body was shorter.

Her fingers flew like quivering spiders over her face, hair and body as the scream continued to tear out of her throat.

It was the sound of thundering footsteps that stopped the shriek. Ginny whirled around to face the door and it was only then did she realised what state her rooms were in.

The bathroom looked dingy and dirty with its sickly green, peeling wallpaper and rust coated taps. The bedroom beyond the bathroom door was bleak, it's four poster bed covered with black drapes and old, raggedy sheets. But before she could even contemplate why these rooms seemed so familiar to her, the bedroom door opened to reveal a flood of red haired people running into the room.

"Ginny!" A frantic voice sounded out. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?" She was then crushed into a hug that only belonged to one person.

"Mum?" She whimpered.

The woman who had crushed Ginny into her embrace pulled away and then held her at arms length. Ginny's breath left her lungs as she looked at the years-younger face of Molly Weasley.

"Ginny? Speak to me! What's wrong?"

Ignoring the voice, Ginny's eyes slowly wandered towards the people behind her mother. Out of the 8 people stood around the doorway, 5 of them had flaming red hair. The others had bushy brown hair, sandy coloured hair and long wavy hair of an ebony black. All of the faces held the same concerned expressions, but Ginny couldn't tear her gaze way from the 3 people she never thought she'd see again.

"Fred? Sirius? Remus?" She gasped before the blackness took hold of her.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

He didn't know how long he had sat there, staring wide mouthed at his room, before he leapt up and ran to the door. He twisted the handle and yanked it only to find that the door wouldn't budge. A few more rattles of the door handle told Harry that he was locked in.

With a cry of frustration, he whirled around, intent on pacing the small space when his foot caught the bottom hem of his pyjama pants and he fell over. Another stream of expletives exploded out of his angry mouth before they abruptly stopped.

Harry quickly rolled onto his back and sat up, leaning against the sorry-excuse of a bed. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was wearing a very large, very old pair of pyjamas.

"What the…?" He could have swore that he just slept in his boxers last night.

Last night… bedroom… baby… _Ginny!_

Short breaths of air rapidly puffed out of his mouth as he began to hyperventilate. His eyes madly scanned the room as he half hoped that Ginny would just pop out of nowhere and reassure him that everything was okay, that she was fine, the baby was fine and this was all just elaborate joke that George was playing on him.

But, of course, no such thing happened.

Harry curled up into a ball and fisted his hands in his hair as a desperate sob erupted from his lips. What was going on? Why was he here, at Privet Drive? Where was Ginny? Was she okay? Was the baby okay? What would happen when she found out he was missing? Had he been kidnapped? Was some random Death Eater supporter trying to take his revenge out on him?

The Auror part of his mind immediately latched onto that last question and his sobs stopped.

If this _was_ a Death Eater plot, why did they bring him here? He hadn't been here since the summer of his 17th birthday, 6 years ago! What had they done with Ginny? Had they killed her? '_Oh Merlin! What if they have killed her? And the baby? Ginny… the baby… why? What is going on? Why am I here? Why do I seem younger…?_'

His head snapped up with an audible crack. Younger?

He frantically uncurled his body, ripped the baggy pyjama top off himself and stared down at his chest.

He was much skinnier than he had been when he went to bed. So skinny in fact, that his ribs were clearly visible. None of the muscles he had built up in the past half-a-decade seemed to exist. And the thing that really proved to him that he was in fact younger was the lack of scars on his chest.

The scar from the locket Horcrux and the scar from being hit with the killing curse again were gone.

"Holy-" His soft exclamation was cut off by the sound of the bedroom door being unlocked. Harry looked up just in time to see his Uncle Vernon walk through the door.

He looked the same as ever- vast stomach, bushy moustache and a curious likeness to a walrus.

Harry just stared at the man in front of him. It hadn't even occurred to him that if he was a Privet Drive, then he would probably see his Uncle, Aunt and Cousin.

"We're going out," he said.*

Harry just blinked. His uncle was just having a normal- for him, anyway- conversation with Harry. As if he hadn't just randomly showed up at the place he had told his Uncle he would never go to again.

But what if he hadn't just randomly showed up, according to his uncle? What if he had been here this whole time?

That was when he noticed the suit his Uncle was wearing and the smug smile that stretched his oversized face.

"Didn't you hear me, boy? I said we're going out!" Uncle Vernon barked at him. Harry jumped a little as he was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Sorry?"

"We- that is to say, your aunt, Dudley and I- are going out."

Harry frowned at him. Why was this conversation familiar to him? Why was it all familiar? The locked door, his uncle in a suit, informing him that he and his aunt and cousin were going out…

Realisation settled in his stomach like an ice cube.

"Oh. Wh-where are you going?" He cursed the fact that his voice cracked, but Harry was more focused on what his Uncle was going to answer with.

Vernon puffed out his chest, giving him the impression of a cross breed of a penguin and a stuffed walrus.

"We have been short listed for the All- England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition."

Harry suppressed a snort. He had forgotten all about Tonks' excuse to the Dursley's when she came with the advance guard to… to…

_To rescue him from Privet Drive!_

Harry just sat there, stunned and only half aware of his Uncle leaving his room and going back downstairs. It was only when he heard the sound of the car reversing out of the drive did he snap out of his thoughts.

He was at Privet Drive, his family had just left to go to a pseudo competition that Tonks had set up in order to get Harry away from this place because he had just been attacked by Dementors and was now facing a hearing at the ministry of magic.

Except, all of that had happened years ago, so how could it be happening now unless…

Unless he had somehow travelled back in time.

As soon as that thought cropped up in his head, Harry wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. It was ludicrous to think that he had travelled back in time. It wasn't possible to go back more than a few hours!

Or was it?

Time travel was the only thing that worked and added up to the strange situation he had found himself in.

And if that was true, then he was about to be sprung from his suburban prison.

With that thought in his mind, Harry scrambled to his feet and started to race around, grabbing the belongings that were supposedly his from around the room and shoving them into his trunk. He emptied the loose floorboard under his bed and cleaned Hedwig's cage, who he had realised was probably at Grimmauld Place.

In his excitement and anxiety to get downstairs to wait for his visitors, Harry was hardly aware that he had used wandless magic to unlock his bedroom door.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

"… wonder what was wrong?"

"Maybe it was just a dizzy spell, Mollywobbles."

"But then she's sick? What if she's coming thing down with something serious, Arthur? I mean, she's been out all day! Harry will be here any moment…"

As soon as she registered Harry's name, Ginny's mind cleared of the last remains of unconsciousness and she sat up suddenly in her bed.

Molly let out a startled gasp.

"Ginny! Are you okay?" She rushed out as her hand pressed itself against Ginny's forehead.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just felt a bit funny this morning, that's all." Ginny muttered distractedly. Her mind was too busy focusing on what was going on. During her time of unconsciousness, Ginny had come to realise that there were only two possibilities of what had happened.

One, she was dead.

Or two, she had somehow travelled back in time.

She was pretty sure it was the last one. After all, surely when you died you didn't immediately throw up. And besides, most of the people she had seen already had been alive when she last went to bed- with only 3 glaring exceptions.

And if she had gone back in time, what the hell was she going to do? How had she gotten here in the first place? How was she going to act around Harry if he had not been flung back in the past as well? And most of all…

_What was she going to do about the baby?_

That was the one thing Ginny was absolutely certain about. She knew she was still pregnant. She knew that somehow the baby that was growing inside of her had come back in time with her. She just _knew_.

And that was one hell of a problem.

Just as she was about to complain to her mother about her pulse being checked, Ginny distinctly heard the sound of the front door of number 12 Grimmauld Place being opened and closed. Before either of her parents could say anything, Ginny had leapt out of bed and was practically flying down the stairs in order to see who had come in.

And there he was.

Harry. Her Harry.

He looked just as she did- younger. He was more skinny and his hair was even more of a mess than it was in the future. But she didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that he was here.

She wasn't even aware that the people in the crowded hallway had parted in order to get out of the way of her sprinting at Harry. All she was aware of was that she needed to be held in those arms of his.

It was only when his arms had snaked around her waist and she had wrapped hers tightly around his neck did she start to cry. She wasn't crying big noisy sobs, but the sounds she was making was enough to cause everyone in the hall to become alarmed even more. Well, everyone except Harry.

The way his arms tightened around her waist indicated to her that he knew who she was. That he knew she was Ginny Potter and not Ginny Weasley. After all, if he hadn't come back in time and he really had just arrived here for he first time, then he would be awkward and shying away from her. The fact that he was doing the opposite prompted her to ask him the security question.

"What does my room have at the Burrow?" she whispered into his ear, her voice harsh due to the tightness of her throat.

Harry chuckled softly, a hint of relief in his answering soft tone. "A nice view." Ginny tightened her arms around his neck in response. "What is the most macho animal ever?"

She giggled at him. "A Hungarian Horntail."

Ginny pulled back a little so she could see his wonderfully green eyes. They stared back at her for a few long moments before he ducked his head a little and placed a soft kiss on her brow. They both let out a sigh of contentment. They were both so happy and relieved that the other was there, in their arms.

After a moment, Harry looked up and what he saw made him grimace and wince. Ginny, confused, turned her head around to see what was wrong.

There were a lot of people in the hall way, and all of those people were gaping at them. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Remus, Tonks, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Sirius, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore. Well, the latter two had a sneer on their face and a twinkle in their eye respectively.

It was Arthur who spoke first.

"Harry? Ginny? Is there something you want to tell us?"

Ginny and Harry looked around the group once more and then looked at each other.

"We're going to have to tell them." Ginny whispered to him.

"But we don't even know what's going on! How can we tell them something we don't know?"

Ginny bit her lip as she thought. He was right.

"Well," She slowly said. "We can just tell them what we know." She carried on and cut Harry off when he opened his mouth to argue. "We can just tell them how we went to sleep in 2003 and woke up this morning back in 1995. How you woke up at the Dursley's and how I woke up here…. And still pregnant."

Harry's eyes snapped and focused on hers at that last statement. After searching her eyes swiftly for a moment, his gaze softened and his mouth widened into a smile.

"The baby? It's still there?" He hardly breathed the sentence out as his hand drifted down and gently caressed her stomach. Ginny's eyes welled in tears again.

"Yes."

A rough cough interrupted their tender moment.

"Well? Out with it!" Moody growled at them.

Harry sighed. "I think it's best if we move into the kitchen. You're going to want to sit down for this."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A/N: There you have it! Was it good? Bad? Brilliant? Awful?**

**I've read quite a few time travel stories where Harry and/or Ginny and/or other people go into the past and I thought it'd be good to write one myself!**

**The main idea I had was for them to not just go back in time, let out a few secrets, and then go back after erasing everyone's memory. Oh no! I wanted Harry and Ginny to go back to their 15/14 year old selves, but retain their future knowledge. And I thought it'd be a brilliant twist to have Ginny pregnant as well! That's certainly going to change things!**

**The way I see things at the moment, before anybody asks, is that Harry was around about 22/23 years old and Ginny was around 21/22 years old. The person they are pregnant with is James Sirius Potter. I couldn't find a precise date for when James was born, so I'm imagining it would be about 5 or 6 years after Deathly Hallows ended.**

**No, there will be no more time travellers. It will just be Harry, Ginny and Baby Potter :P**

**Now, review? Please?**

*******EDITED: 5/11/2011*******


	2. Pregnant Pauses

**A/N: Wow…. Just…. I am absolutely blown away! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I am gob smacked at the response I got! 5 reviews within the first hour of posting this story, and then I've just checked my email and it's full of author alerts and story alerts and story favourites! Just… wow!**

**A few questions were raised in my reviews, one of them being 'what happened to the Ginny and Harry of 1995?' Hopefully this will be answered in this chapter. If anyone still doesn't quite understand, please leave me a review and I'll try and explain it better ****J**

**I also got an anonymous review that said "In such a situation you wouldn't spill the guts to the whole freakin order but only to people which need to know. Family, Sirius/Remus, Dumbledore,McGonagal, and that's it." Since I can't answer privately, I'll answer here.**

**If I am to be honest, it never occurred to me that they would not include the order, so I apologise if that part did not fit right. But I have my reasons. On the night that Harry was taken to Grimmauld Place by the advance guard, there was an order meeting going on that very night. Plus, the order members that were named other than the ones that were normally there, were part of the advance guard and were in the hallway when Ginny and Harry saw each other. Therefore, they will be told about it as well. I hope that won't be an issue for many people, and if it is then I am sorry, but I won't be changing it now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the world of Harry Potter. That privilege belongs to J.K Rowling only. I only own a gay cat called Bert J**

**P.S- There is a line from a movie in here somewhere. Where is it from?**

LMMRLMMRLMMR

Harry felt as though he was going to be sick. The shock of seeing so many people alive when yesterday they were dead to him, was indescribable. His eyes constantly moved to look at the faces that he had not seen in years, drinking in their features as if they were about to die again. Sirius, Moony, Tonks, Fred, Mad- Eye and Dumbledore. He even missed the sneer that seemed permanently present on Severus Snape's face.

It was like he was living in his own memory, seeing all of those faces looking at him. Only this time, it was for a much more complicated reason.

The Weasley's, Hermione and the Order of the Phoenix were all sat around the table in the kitchen. Harry and Ginny were stood in front of it, their hands clasped together, as close to the door as they could possibly be. It was Harry who chose to stand there- after all, when in doubt, know your way out. It was an auror thing. A thing in which he thought would be handy to remember considering the glares that were being sent his way from the Weasley brothers.

"Well, now that we are all comfortable, why don't you enlighten us on what has been going on with the two of you?" Dumbledore politely questioned. Harry noted that he did not look him directly in the eye. His eyes narrowed a little in response. He had forgotten that the headmaster had done tat, and he had also forgotten how annoying it was.

"Why would you think that there is something wrong?" Ginny whispered after she had licked her dry lips.

"Well, dearest sister," One of the twins said.

"This morning you screamed blue murder-" The other carried on.

"Then passed out."

"And when young Harry here arrives-"

"You run at him and hug him-"

"And he hugged you-"

"Aww, bless them Gred. They've gone all red!"

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. Her gaze had been alternating from looking suspicious, to looking annoyed at the twins, to looking concerned at Ginny and Harry.

"And Harry told us that we best sit down for what you were going to say." Arthur interjected quietly. Nobody else said anything- they just watched the two teenagers fidget under their gazes. Moody's magical eye was whizzing all over the place as if he thought there was something they had hidden that could get them into trouble.

Neither Harry nor Ginny said anything. They were too busy trying to think of what to say and how to say it.

"Harry."

The black haired boy's head snapped up to look at the owner of the soft voice. His eyes met with the grey ones of his godfather, Sirius Black. Harry's heart clenched as he looked into the face that showed nothing but concern. He had not seen his godfather in years, and the first thing he does is worry him to death.

"Harry," Sirius repeated. "Just tell us. We won't get mad. We can help you. What's going on? Have you done something? Has Ginny done something? Is it something to do with Voldemort?"

"No." Harry finally answered. "It… It has nothing to do with Voldemort." He glanced down at Ginny and saw that she was looking at him, their expressions mirrored in confused thought. "At least.. We don't… don't think so…"

Moody sighed. "Well spit it out then boy! We don't have all day!" he barked at Harry. Harry opened is mouth to say something- anything- when he was interrupted by a high pitched voice coming from next to him.

"I'm pregnant!"

Harry's head snapped sideways to look at his wife, his mouth dropping open in horror. Ginny had both hands clamped to her mouth, her expression clearly showing that she hadn't meant to blurt that part out just like that.

There was silence for a few moments in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place- something that had not happened recently- before all hell broke loose.

"WHAT?" Molly Weasley's high pitched shriek drowned out the deep rumbles of her sons as they- plus Arthur- all jumped to their feet.

Sirius' mouth hung open, his eyes wide. He had not been expecting that at all. And judging from the way he was swinging his eyes between Harry, Ginny and their intertwined hands, he had no doubts over who he thought the father was. But when this had happened, he did not know.

Remus had his hand clamped on Sirius' arm as if to either hold himself upright or keep Sirius in his seat. He had come to the same conclusion as his friend and his head was spinning as he tried to think of what to say, or what to do. Tonks was sat next to him, her hair a stark white and one of her hands clamped over her mouth. She had spent a little time with the youngest Weasley over the summer and she could not believe that she had never picked up on the fact that she was with child.

Moody, Emmeline, Dedalus, Kingsley, Hestia, Sturgis and Elphias just tried to remain neutral. After all, they did not know the two young kids, but they all knew that if the Weasley girl was in fact pregnant then she would be in great danger, and not just from her peers. Having a baby in the middle of a war was never an ideal situation, but adding in the fact that she was just short of 14, and the whole situation was a disaster.

Snape's sneer became more pronounced as his thoughts ran through his head. '_I knew it was just a matter of time. I'm a little surprised it took so long actually. I would have thought boys would just have to sneeze at her in order to get her pregnant, considering the mother she has…_'

McGonagall just sat with her hand clutched to her chest as she stared at her two young Gryffindors while Dumbledore sat quietly besides her, the only indication that he had heard anything was the way that his eyebrows narrowed a little in thought.

Molly was still shrieking, the hysteria she was feeling oozing out of her mouth.

"What have you done, you silly little girl! I thought we taught you better than that! Whose is it? WHOSE IS IT?"

At her last shriek, everyone went silent as they stared at the couple in front of them. Harry was just staring blankly at everyone while Ginny was quietly crying.

It was Ron that broke the silence.

"It was you wasn't it?" he asked, his voice a deathly whisper. He had finally noticed how close his best mate was standing to his sister. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GOT HER PREGNANT!" he roared. And then before Harry could open his mouth to defend himself (although how he was going to do that, he had no idea- after all, it _was_ his baby), Ron lunged at him.

An invisible barrier rose between the two boys as Dumbledore rose to his feet, wand in hand.

"Enough!" his voice echoed around the crowded room. "Mr. Weasley, please take your seat. I have a few questions of my own." Ron made no indication to move until a stunned Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat. Everyone else had sat down as soon as Dumbledore spoke and Molly had buried her head in her husband's shoulder.

"Now, Ginevra. Are you absolutely positive that you are pregnant?" Dumbledore kindly asked her. Ginny choked back another sob and nodded her head. Mrs Weasley let out another loud wail. "And just who is the father of your child?"

Ginny didn't seem to be able to answer, so it was Harry who spoke as he pulled her into his arms in a gesture that was equally for protection as it was for comfort.

"I am."

Sirius wearily rubbed his hand over his eyes as Mr Weasley and the boys all started to rise from their seats, murder in their eyes. However, they quickly sat down again as Dumbledore raised his hand in a peaceful gesture.

"I see." he nodded to the two, watching as Ginny pressed her face into Harry's chest. "and just when was this baby conceived?"

Harry looked up into the piercing blue eyes of his headmaster, pleased when he did not look away and instead maintained the eye contact. They stared at each other as Harry tried to determine exactly how much the old headmaster knew or had at least guessed. He swallowed before answering.

"May 2003."

The silence pressed heavily on their eardrums. Everyone was now staring at them, their faces a mixture of disbelief and blank confusion. Molly, who had finally lifted her head from Arthur's shoulder, looked as though she was about to faint. Snape, who had been inwardly laughing at Potter's stupidity, now looked as if he had been clubbed around the head by a troll.

"B-but… That's not p-p-possible!" Hestia stuttered. It seemed as though the majority of the room agreed with that statement.

"Indeed, one would think so." Dumbledore continued, his head tilted to one side, the usual twinkle shining in his eyes. "However I am inclined to believe that it is true. How did you get here, my boy?"

"We don't know, sir."

"So, you have no idea? Then how do we know you're not making it up? And if you have been brought back in time, then why are you… you?" Tonks asked. At the end of her questions, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Then why are they what?" Sirius asked her, a bewildered look on his face.

"I think she means, if they came back in time, why do they still look nearly 14 and 15 years old?" Remus answered as he heaved a great sigh.

Everyone turned to look at Harry and Ginny, but they looked just as lost as everyone else.

"I would suggest that the two of you tell us everything you can remember about this whole thing. Maybe it would also help to ease Molly's mind if you also informed us of the nature of your relationship." Dumbledore prompted.

Harry nodded before leading Ginny to sit down in the two chairs that they had neglected before. Ginny's tears had stopped, but she still clung to Harry. It was almost as if she felt she would blurt out more things if she spoke again and the way she glance furtively at her family showed just how afraid she was still and had been of their reactions.

"Ginny and I first got together towards the end of my sixth year. Unfortunately, I had to break it off with her as I… had things to do outside of Hogwarts."

"What things? Surely they weren't so important that you would end things with my little sister!" Ron hissed at Harry. The twins, who stood on either side of their younger brother, nodded their heads in agreement, their usually happy faces clouded uncharacteristically with a cold seriousness.

This time, it was Ginny who answered after a quick glance at her husband. They couldn't say too much. If they did, the whole timeline would be changed. And that may not be a good thing.

"We cannot tell you." Her voice became harsh as she cut off her brother who had opened his mouth to retort. "No, Ron! If we say too much, then everything could change. All you have to know is that those things Harry had to do, were the most important things in the world. It was literally a matter of life and death- and not just his own life, but the life and survival of the whole wizarding world! So yes Ronald, I would say that they were important enough for Harry to break up with me!"

Again, the atmosphere plummeted into a harsh depression as everyone registered what Ginny had just said.

"Did things really get that bad?" Emmeline asked quietly.

"They got worse than that, but we cannot say. At least not yet." Harry answered her. He looked at everyone in the room, pleading for their understanding.

"Very well, my dear boy. Perhaps in time you will be able to divulge these things. Would you like to continue?" Dumbledore spoke.

Harry nodded, then took in a deep breath as he started to speak again. "After I was done with these things, nobody was in danger anymore. Voldemort was dead."

"Dead?" Was the general outcry from the occupants of the room. A few people laughed, but whether that was due to actual amusement or pure shock was not known. Everyone leaned forwards in their chairs, including Snape, waiting for their unspoken questions to be answered. Dumbledore lost the kind expression to adopt an imploringly serious one. He looked into the green eyes of his favourite pupil, searching for the truth.

"Yes. Dead. Again, we cannot say how yet." Although he was answering the whole room, Harry's gaze remained locked on Dumbledore. As he stared into his blue eyes, on thought crossed his brain. '_Prophecy_'.

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly and then he gave a small nod to the boy- or was it man?- in front of him. Harry carried on, his voice rising to be heard over the beginnings of questions.

"After Voldemort was dead, Ginny and I began to see each other again and a year later, I proposed to her. We got married another year later and have been happy since then. Until yesterday."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Hermione asked.

"Yesterday for us, in 2003." Ginny answered her. "We were having dinner at the Burrow with my family when I told Harry I was pregnant…"

"So, wait. You've only known she was pregnant since yesterday which is actually 8 years into the future for you two?" Sirius butted in, his finger pointing between the two of them.

"Yes, he did. I've known for a few weeks. I just didn't know how to tell him." Ginny smiled, her hand drifting down to her stomach.

There was another short bout of silence.

"I am so confused!" Tonks groaned. Many people nodded and grunted their agreement.

Harry snorted. "Your telling us! Yesterday, I found out my wife was pregnant and I went to bed as normal. Today, I wake up in my adolescent body, in my bedroom at number four Privet Drive- a place I said I would never step foot in again!" He threw his hands up in the air with a growl of frustration, before burying his head in them.

The Order, Hermione and the Weasley's couldn't help but be sympathetic towards the young man. Most of them believed the two youngsters. After all, it was a little too complicated to just be made up.

"Did something similar happen to you, Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked her young lion. If it were true, then this was a very unique and bewildering situation.

Ginny shrugged. "A little. I woke up this morning to be sick, and when I looked in the mirror, I looked like this." She gestured to her younger body with a frown. "That was when I started to scream." Despite themselves, the Weasley boys couldn't quite hold in their soft chuckles.

"So, what you mean is that somehow your future memories and thoughts were transported back in time to your adolescent bodies, as well as the child you are impregnated with?" Kingsley picked up the questioning with his deep, slow voice He had quietly been listening and gathering up what he could in order to make sense of the situation.

Ginny and Harry looked at each other for a few moments. "It would seem so, yes."

The silence that yet again befell the kitchen was one of thoughtfulness this time as everyone digested the situation.

"What I would like to know," Snape finally drawled. Harry was actually surprised it took so long for him o open his mouth. "Is if Mr Potter and Miss Weasley have any proof that what they say is true. After all, I wouldn't put it past the insufferable brat to spin a tale like this just to get himself out of trouble."

"Severus," Dumbledore warned in a low voice.

"It is okay, sir." Harry answered as he turned to face the potions professor. He may not like the man, but he respected and admired him for the role he was playing. It couldn't be easy, and after all, he had saved Harry's life on numerous occasions. "We know about the doe."

The people in the room had the pleasure of seeing Severus Snape's jaw drop. A few people had to hide their sniggers, even as they wondered what Harry was going on about. Dumbledore didn't even bother to hide his smile or twinkle.

"H-how do you know about that?" Although his voice had began as a small whisper, Snape's voice grew into a harsh growl towards the end.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "I saw it in a memory." '_That you gave me_', he couldn't help but add in his head. However he did not say it allowed as he was sure it would not be appreciated.

Snape was silent for a few more moments before the sneer was back on his face. "well, I do not think that is adequate proof. You could have known about that before know." The look on his face clearly showed that he had hoped that wasn't the case.

Harry and Ginny once more looked at each other. They knew what they could say to make everyone believe them, but could they tell them?

They would have too, not only would it prove they were telling the truth, but it could also help avoid silly situations, many arguments and help end things quicker this time around.

Both of them turned as one to their old, once-again-alive, headmaster.

"we know about the prophecy and horcuxes."

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**A/N 2: There you go! Another chapter! I'm not completely happy with it as I don't think I got some of the characterisations right, but I shall let you be the judges of that!**

**Thank you again so so so much for all of the wonderful reviews and alerts! You've made my day!**

**I have received a lot of useful advice that I am willing to take on board as it should help me make my story better! Any advice you could give me would greatly be appreciated. I also don't mind flames, a long as they contain something constructive that I can build on. I don't see the point in having someone informing me that my story is the worse thing they've ever read without them telling me why they don't like it!**

**Happy reading!**


	3. More Explanations

**A/N: I LOVE YOU GUYS! You are all so amazing! Thank you so so much for all of the great reviews! A lot of you had some very good feedback for me, and I really appreciate it!**

**Once again, my email was full of alerts and favourite stories that it actually took me an hour to go through them all! I do try to reply to all my reviews (although I can't actually reply to the anonymous ones) but if I haven't replied, please tell me and I shall endeavor to reply next time!**

**Well done to the anonymous reviewer 'Hugendubel' who was the only one to guess that the line "when in doubt, know your way out" was from the movie Zombieland ****J I love that film so much!**

**And thanks to the anonymous reviewer 'a person' for the review that made me laugh the most. You actually almost gave me a heart attack when I first started to read the review, I honestly thought you hated this story :P**

**Okay, enough of this long authors note! Remember, any questions or queries, just leave me a review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a very lovely queen sized bed :D**

LMMRLMMRLMMR

"We know about the prophecy and horcuxes."

This statement had only a small effect on the Order of the Phoenix. When they heard that they knew of the prophecy, several mouths dropped open. The Weasley boys and Hermione just looked curious while Molly and Arthur shared a panicked look with some other members. Moody had both eyes fixed on the young couple and narrowed suspiciously. Sirius and Remus shared a quick look with each other and Snape's sneer became more pronounced as he thought of the audacity the Potter brat had for meddling in issues that didn't concern him.

However, there was one reaction in the room that was completely unexpected. It was such a reaction that Fred and George actually wanted to shake their sister's and her husband's hand for achieving such a feat.

Albus Dumbledore gave a great gasp of shock and actually fell back into his chair.

The astonished people in the room stared as they watched the great leader of the light age right before their very eyes, his skin paled so much it began to look paper thin and the twinkle went out in his eyes.

"Horcruxes?" he finally rasped out in a croaking voice. "He made more than one?"

"Seven. He made seven horcuxes. He split it eight times." Harry answered.

Dumbledore sagged in his chair at this news. "Eight times?" his voice was barely above a whisper. Ginny nodded. Everyone else just looked perplexed. "What-"

"We will tell you. However, it is not something that everyone should hear."

At Harry's words, there was a great uproar. Everyone was shouting at the young teen, telling them that it was there business to know, and that he shouldn't have said anything if he wasn't going to tell them, and who did he think he was, telling them what to do!

"Shut it!" Ginny yelled over everyone, effectively cutting them off. "Do you not think that we have a good reason not to include some of you? This is something that not everyone can know! If Voldemort was to find out, not only will we loose the war, but he will kill you all personally! Now stop acting like children and grow up!"

Harry stared at his wife fondly. He loved it when she put people in their place. Her hands placed themselves on her hips, her eyes flashed and her hair seemed like fire. As long as her anger wasn't aimed at him, he was happy to let her stand up to the Order.

"So, what? You just want us all to clear out of the room? Pretend we haven't heard anything?" Sirius snorted. His arms were folded across his chest and he glared at the couple. Harry almost laughed; he looked every bit like a petulant teenager.

"Yes, actually. But some of you will need to stay." Harry smiled. "The people who we would like to stay are the professors, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Moody, Kingsley and the Weasley's and Hermione."

Again, shouts of protests rang out until there was a very large bang. Dumbledore had once again stood up, but this time he had his wand out.

"Harry is correct. Only a select few will be able to know." his blue eyes then switched to Harry. "Are you sure my boy, that all of the people you named need to know?" Harry just nodded. "Very well then. Please would those of you that were not named leave the room."

Due to a great load of grumbles and a large commotion of leaving the room, nobody noticed Harry take out his wand.

As soon as the door was shut, Dumbledore waved his wand at it, resetting the wards that would not allow for any eavesdroppers.

"What the bloody hell is a horcrux?"

"Ronald!" Molly scolded. Nobody really paid any attention to her, they were all staring between Harry, Ginny and Dumbledore.

"Perhaps you had better explain sir." Harry said as he leant back in his chair and grabbed Ginny's hand.

"Hang on!" Molly interjected. Her face looked furious for some reason. "I will not have the children in the room! They are too young to be messing in matters tat are for witches and wizards who are much older than them! I will not allow it!" Before the twins and Ron could even think of a retort to that, Ginny heaved a great sigh and answered her mother.

"Mum, we have asked them to be here as they have a reason for knowing."

"And just what is this reason?" Both Weasley women had their eyes narrowed dangerously and the likeness between them was amazing. Harry decided to head off the argument before it started.

"Molly, we have asked them to be here as they will be a great help for us. They can help us plan things as Ron is a great strategist and the twins inventions are nothing short of amazing. Also, if it is needed, they will be able to provide cover for us at school and such places. Hermione is here as she has a great amount of logic will undoubtedly needed. Also, if we do not tell them, they will find a way to get the information they want and that could cause more harm than good." Hermione blushed at the praise while Ron puffed out his chest a little. The twins- in true twin fashion- merely stood up and bowed to the people in the room.

Mrs Weasley opened and closed her mouth for a few moments before actually speaking. "You just called me Molly."

"So I did." Harry smiled at her.

Snape snorted on the other side of the table. "Typical, Potter. When are you going to learn that there are much more able and talented wizards that have more right to order people around than you do."

"Professor," Harry said wearily. "If you do not have something constructive to say, please hold your tongue. It may save you some trouble." Snape swelled in anger.

"Why you insolent little-"

"Severus." Dumbledore warned. Snape instantly shut up, but directed his deadliest glare to both the headmaster and Harry.

Ginny leaned into Harry's side a little. "You know, I actually prefer him as a portrait." His response was a snort of amusement.

"Albus, if you could continue. I wish to know what these objects are." McGonagall requested as she turned her stern gaze towards the older man.

"Very well." he turned to look everyone in the eye before starting. "A horcrux is something that one uses to store a piece of their soul once it has been split. They are among the very darkest of magics and no decent person would ever think of making one."

"Why not, sir? After all, wouldn't it be useful to hide a part of your soul?" Hermione enquired. Her eyes were alight with curiosity and the sight made Ginny smile.

"No. The process of it is very painful- more so than the cruciatus curse. Plus, in order to create a horcrux, one must commit the most foulest and heinous act imaginable."

"Murder." Remus whispered. Dumbledore nodded at him. It was silent for a few moments as everyone thought.

"So that's how he was able to come back? He had a horcrux as a back up?" Tonks asked. Her hair had changed from her usual pink into a mousy brown.

At this, Dumbledore did not reply. Instead he looked at Harry as he did not know quite what to say.

"No. He had more than one back up." he grimly said. There were a few sharp intakes of breath at this.

"How many?" Moody growled quietly.

"He split his soul eight times."

"EIGHT?"

"But… but that means he…" Molly stuttered. Her face had gone white and she clutched Arthur even tighter. Harry idly wonder how long it would be until his fingers turned purple.

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and place one of his hands to his temple. "Yes, my dear Molly. It would appear that eight of the murders he has committed were used to bank his immortality." His hand dropped again as he turned his gaze back to the black haired boy. "What I don't understand though, is why he split his soul into eight? With his obsession with magic, I would have assumed he would have stuck to the number seven."

"He did try to." Ginny added. She shared a brief glimpse with Harry before her gaze flickered back to the people in front of her.

"What do you mean by that? How can he try to make seven, but then make eight?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowed. "It's not as if he thought 'ah, one more can't hurt' did he?"

Ginny couldn't help her giggle and the twins let smirked identically.

"No, he didn't say that." Harry's mouth twitched and he cleared his throat to hide his laugh. "Voldemort was not aware of the seventh one he made. He made it by pure accident."

"The Dark Lord does not do things by accident." Snape spat at the two teens. "Every move of his is calculated, every plan is thought of from every different angle possible in order for him to gain the result he wants. He does not make accidents."

"With all due respect, professor, if Voldemort did not make mistakes I would be dead by now." The bluntness of the statement caused several people to wince and it had the effect that Harry was going for- Snape stopped talking. "Besides, Voldemort isn't even aware that he has made this last horcrux."

Everyone's heads snapped towards Harry and they all just gaped at him. Not even Dumbledore or Snape had anything to say to that.

"Well…. What on earth is it then, Mr Potter?" McGonagall snapped at him. Her Scottish brogue was more evident as her confusion and annoyance at the silence mounted.

"We will get to that. First of all, you need to know what the others are." Harry took a deep breath and turned to Ginny. Ginny did not look back, but the way she tightened her grip on Harry's hand told her how hard it was for her. When she had first found out what the diary had been, she had been distraught and the way she dealt with it was to close herself off from everybody. Obviously, Harry did not let that carry on for too long. After all, he would be a hypocrite if he didn't let someone brood for a small period of time.

"The first horcrux he made was his teenage diary."

To Moody, Kingsley, Remus, Tonks and Sirius, this piece of information didn't really mean anything; it was a diary, most teenage wizards had one. However, to the rest, especially the Weasley's, it was probably the worse thing they could have heard.

"NO!" Molly wailed. Her tears had started again with a vengeance. Arthur was clenching his jaw, his eyes closed and his hands gripping his wife's back. Fred and George were gripping the arms of their chairs so hard, Harry was pretty sure he heard them crack. They had ugly expressions on their faces which was a far cry from their usual jovial smiles. Ron had actually leapt to his feet and was now pacing the room.

McGonagall had taken out a handkerchief and had buried her face into it, Snape was taking deep breaths in through his nose and Dumbledore once again aged.

"What? What's so wrong about this diary?" Tonks asked quietly. She could clearly see that this was a very distressing subject for reasons unknown to her.

"Remember about 3 years ago? The ministry and the school's board of governors wanted to shut down Hogwarts?" Harry prompted in a small voice. A large pat of is attention was focused on the girl beside him who had started to shake. Her eyes were tightly closed and her breathing was shallow.

"I remember. I was told just before I started to teach at Hogwarts. Someone was setting loose a monster on the castle and a girl was taken down to…" Remus' voice drifted off as horror etched itself on his face. He looked around at the Weasley's and then to Ginny. Everything clicked in his mind and he carried on in a whisper. "Oh Merlin! I had no idea… I'm so sorry…"

"what? What happened? What monster? Who…?" Sirius also stopped speaking as he looked around the room. He didn't quite know what had happened, but he had an inkling that it involved his godson and the youngest Weasley.

Dumbledore once again sighed. "During Harry's second year at Hogwarts, a monster was set loose in the castle and it started to attack muggle-borns, leaving them in a petrified state. After I was asked to leave my position as headmaster, Miss Weasley was taken down into the Chamber of Secrets, the lair of the monster, by the heir of Slytherin." Gaps of horror echoed around the room as ever eye swiveled to Ginny, who tried her best to bury herself into Harry's side.

"Who was the heir?" Kingsley asked after a moment of horrified silence.

"Lord Voldemort."

This actually did not surprise most people. It was almost as if they knew it had something to do with him.

Sirius ran his hands over his face. "I need a drink." he murmured to himself.

"But how did You-Know-Who get inside the castle undetected?" Tonks questioned.

"By the diary." Everyone turned once again to Harry. "The diary was somehow slipped to Ginny and when she wrote in it, the soul of Voldemort hat was being kept in the diary started to possess her. Ginny was the one behind the attacks, but not of her own accord. I destroyed the horcrux by using a basilisk fang when I went into the Chamber to save Ginny. The monster was a basilisk."

The ones who didn't know this gaped at him.

"You.. You.. What?" Sirius exclaimed.

"That is a story for another time. The next horcrux he made was the Gaunt family ring, which is hidden at the Gaunt shack just outside of Little Hangleton." Dumbledore nodded his head slowly, as if something he had once thought was proven true.

"Why would he use something that has nothing to do with him? From what I can guess, You-Know-Who would use something of value to him." Hermione commented, her brow furrowed.

"You are indeed correct Miss Granger. Tom would use something of importance, which is what he did. The ring was a family heirloom of the Gaunts who believed it to show that they were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Tom's own mother was Merope Gaunt." There were a few nods of people's heads and noises of acknowledgement as people understood. A few people looked slightly ill to think that once upon a time, Voldemort was just the same as they were and it was bizarre for them to hear of him having a family.

Harry continued. "Voldemort then used three very famous and well known legendary objects to create his third, fourth and fifth horcruxes." He paused for dramatic effect. Ginny nearly laughed out loud as people actually leaned forwards in their seats in anticipation of what these things could be.

"Well? Out with it Potter!" Moody barked. His patience was short enough as it was and the boy was not helping matters. Harry smiled at him, which annoyed the senior auror even more.

"They are the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem and Salazar Slytherin's locket."

He twins snorted.

"What's so funny boys?" Arthur asked them. Molly looked at them disapprovingly.

"Well, the thing is…" Fred started.

"Can you imagine…" George continued.

"Old snake face, wearing a great big necklace…"

"And parading it around in front of his band of merry men?"

Their suggestion caused many people to laugh or snort at the imagery. The one who laughed the most was Ginny. Even though she knew the horcrux had done a lot of damage to the trio's friendship, she couldn't help but laugh at the image of Harry and Ron walking around wearing that thing.

After a few moments, Dumbledore decided to get things back on track. "Where are these things, my dear boy?"

"At this moment in time, we do not know where the cup is." he held up his hands to forestall the questions he knew were coming. "The cup is in an unknown location. The only reason we were able to destroy it in the future was because it had been moved to some where else. As it has not been moved yet, we do not quite know where it is.

"The diadem is not as lost as it is rumored to be so. Voldemort found it during his time in the forests of Albania and he moved it to Hogwarts when he asked for a job teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But he can't have hidden it there! Professor Dumbledore knows Hogwarts the best out of all of us. Surely he would have found it, wouldn't you sir?" Hermione pointed out in a superior manner.

Harry snorted. "Funny. You said the exact same thing last time."

Dumbledore chucked. "My dear girl, I do not know every secret Hogwarts holds. It is possible that I do not know if there is one in the castle or not."

"Oh, it's there alright. Has been since you denied his request. But I shall get into where it is later." Harry said. "The locket of Slytherin is actually in this very house."

Sirius' head snapped up in disbelief. "Say what? It can't be! Surely I would know…"

"How would you know?" Ginny cut him off. She was suddenly feeling very warm and the sickness was returning. She could not be bothered with all these questions- she just wanted to go and lie down as soon as possible. "You didn't even know what a horcrux was! All you need to know, is that it is here in this house which is a very good thing. We shall tell you how it got here later. The last horcrux he knows he made is his snake, Nagini."

Everyone stared at her- that was quite an outburst she had. Harry rubbed her arm. Ginny had been like this for the past few weeks before she found out she was pregnant. He just put it down to hormones.

"Erm… okay. So he made his snake one as well. That's all fine and dandy, but what was the last horcrux he made? The one he doesn't know he did?" Ron asked. He was wary of his sister's temper and thought that the details could wait until later. Everyone seemed to be in agreement.

Harry and Ginny shared a long look as though they were gaining comfort from one another. The depth of this look frightened everyone as it showed them that the unknown horcrux was something very bad. Dumbledore felt his heart drop as he thought of his recent suspicions.

Eventually, Harry sighed and spoke in a whisper.

"The last horcrux was me."

LMMRLMMRLMMR

**A/N 2: Another cliffhanger! Dun Dun Duuun!**

**Now, I am so sorry this is late! I was catching up on my chores and then yesterday I was volunteering at a charity shop all day. Plus this chapter was a giant pain for me to write. :/ It's not entirely exciting as it was mainly about explanations you already know, but the next chapter should be good as it should have the trial, more hormones and a talk with an unexpected person! Can you guess who? Here's a hint- it isn't with anybody who is at Grimmauld place at the moment!**

**Now, I have something important to say. I may not be able to update much in this next week as I go back to school to finish the year and unfortunately it will not be a time of winding down L Also, I am going away on Friday for two weeks to go camping in a place where I will have no computer access or internet for those whole two weeks! Cry! I will try to update as much as I can this week though!**

**Review if you liked it!**


	4. Talks, A Horcrux And A Hearing

**A/N: Well, here you go! Some of you wanted me to post the full chapter, some of you wanted this chapter ASAP, and some of you didn't mind when! People requested when they wanted it due to working schedules, some because they just wanted me to update hehe :P**

**I decided to take the majority advise, which was to keep to what I was doing and only post when I was happy to. So, here you are. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter :/ Some parts I think I did well, but some I just think I could have done better or without. But I shall let you be the judge of that!**

**Oh, and guess what? We have gone over 150 reviews, people! WOOOOO!**

**Honestly, thank you from the bottom of my heart! This is so amazing! I didn't think I would get such a response, considering the amount of time travel fics out there. It's really heart warming!**

**Again, so many story alerts, favourites and so on! And apparently I'm now in a community O.O I was like, wow…..**

**Now, on to my massive chapter, and I promise that there is no cliffhanger to this one! I'm sure many of you will love me for that haha.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that you recognise from the Harry Potter world. All of that wonderful magicness comes from the highly inventive J.K Rowling. I am merely using it as a distraction from my summer holidays homework.**

**WARNING: Contains mentions of underage drinking….. Well, physically anyway….. You'll see what I mean!**

**P.S. Can anyone tell me why there is a Sirius Black II character? As far as I am aware, there is only one of them…..**

Listening To: Brick By Boring Brick- Paramore

**Chapter Four- Talks, Bonding, Horcrux and a Hearing.**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ron wasn't quite sure what to feel.

The day had started out normal- Mrs Weasley had fed them all a large breakfast before separating them into groups to tackle the latest room that was on her to-clean list. Ron hated that list with a passion, but he had soon learned that complaining would do nothing but give him ear ache. Instead, he shared an exasperated look with the twins.

Then Ginny screamed.

Ron had never in his whole life heard his sister make such a noise; it was a terrible, high pitched wail that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Mrs Weasley was the first one out through the kitchen door, quickly followed by the rest of the Weasley's, Hermione, Remus and Sirius.

He remembered the panic that coursed through his veins as they all thundered up the numerous flights of stairs. All he could think of was that he had to protect his little sister from whatever had terrified her so much, as flashes of the Chamber of Secrets flooded his mind.

There hadn't been much to do in the end, however, after his mother had caught Ginny as she fainted. His mum and dad ignored the frantic questions he shouted out to them as he was herded out of the door and told to resume cleaning.

"She'll be okay, Ron." Hermione had quietly reassured him. Ron had merely grunted in response. Logically, he knew this and that Hermione was right. But Ron had never been known for his level headedness. He didn't know what to do and the fact that his parents didn't have a clue as to why his sister had collapsed only helped fuel his helplessness. Ron hated feeling like a spare part, so he forced himself to stay calm as he tackled the cleaning of a dank and dusty bedroom with vigor.

'_Harry will be here soon,_' he repeated to himself as a mantra. '_He'll know what to do… He always does._'

However, the arrival of Ron's best friend only served to complicate things even more.

Baby. Time Travel. Prophecy. Horcruxes.

Those four words bounced around the inside of his mind as his emotions went haywire. Suddenly his normal day didn't seem as normal as he had hoped it would be.

The prophecy. He decided that he would push that to one side for later. He neither knew, or cared quite what one was at the moment and how it linked to the raven haired boy that was currently sat next to his little sister. As far as Ron was concerned, the so-called prophecy was the least of his worries and could be dealt with when he was alone with Hermione. Even though the thought made Ron blush a little, he was certain that she knew more about it than he did, or had at least guessed more.

Time Travel. He wasn't sure about that one either, and he was sure that everyone else felt the same. Ron had only thought that you could travel back in time a mere few hours, never mind 8 years- if that had actually happened. Ron somehow doubted that.

If it had happened, then Ron didn't know how and he couldn't really be bothered to work it out. That was a job for smart people like Hermione, Lupin and Dumbledore. His mind hadn't even acknowledge that there were very important implications connected to time travel as it was too busy being consumed by a rage that was starting to make him see red- and it all centered around his best friend.

His best friend.

The one who had knocked up his little sister.

Whenever Ron thought of that fact, his blood boiled, which, unfortunately, was happening over and over again like a loop in his imagination.

In Ron's eyes, Harry Potter had committed one of the worse betrayals there was.

How dare he! Wasn't there some sort of unspoken rule about shagging your best mate's sister? It was like an unspoken boundary, one that should never be crossed, especially when said people were currently 13 and 14 years old! Screw the fact that this supposedly happened in the future, it just did not happen!

Besides, when the hell had it happened? Harry had never shown any indication that he even liked her or really knew she existed, he thought venomously. All she had been was a loved up fan girl whenever she was around Harry, so why would he show an interest?

'_Maybe he took advantage of her, and because she's so starry eyed about him, she went along with it,_' he practically spat in his mind. '_Now she's knocked up and in trouble, and they're trying to pass it off as time travel._' he mentally scoffed as he folded his arms and glared at the young couple. A tiny part of his mind told him how ridiculous he sounded- '_Harry would never do something like that, and Ginny wouldn't allow it!_'- and that if someone could tell what he was thinking, then he would be hexed into oblivion. But Ron pushed that little voice away as he continued his slew of acidic thoughts.

The only thing that penetrated his anger was the conversation of Horcruxes.

"What the bloody hell is a horcrux?" He ignored his mother's reprimand at his rude questioning.

A piece of a split soul was his answer. And Voldemort had made 8 of them. His diary (the one that had possessed Ginny.), a family ring, a cup, a diadem (whatever one of them was), a snake's locket, a snake and the last one…

"The last horcrux was me." Harry whispered.

Ron hadn't even been aware that he had started to pace the length of the room until he stopped abruptly at Harry's statement.

There was no screaming. There was no crying. No loud shouts of denial, no frantic hugging, no sad looks, no pity, no nothing. Everything was just silent.

Harry and Ginny watched as everyone froze in place. No one moved a single muscle and their facial expressions never changed as they all stared at Harry.

Ginny snorted quietly. "I think you've actually broken them." Mrs Weasley couldn't even reprimand her for making such a comment at a time like this; her brain had simply stopped functioning.

"You knew."

The voice that rang out in the silence seemed unnaturally loud. It was hoarse, flat, hollow and accusatory.

Everyone's eyes flickered to Sirius, who in turn was staring blankly at Dumbledore.

"You knew." he repeated.

Dumbledore swallowed hard and opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to work through the horror he felt and provide some sort of answer. "I had guessed." his voice cracked in its whisper.

"You guessed?" Sirius repeated as his eyes filled with tears. "You guessed that there is a piece of that bastard's soul in him? You had guessed that that piece had to be destroyed? You guessed that my godson would have to die in order to destroy it?" his voice was rising with each new word and anger leaked through his tone as hot tears ran slowly down his cheeks.

Dumbledore flinched and closed his eyes against his own tears as he nodded. He had indeed guessed all of these things. Ever since he had heard of Harry's first dream of Voldemort, when he realised there was a link between the two of them, he had suspected that there was more to it. There had to be more to the mind link than a simple rebounding killing curse, and he found his answer when he delved into Tom's past. A horcrux. It explained the link, yet his mind rejected the thought. It was horrible to even entertain the possibility as it would mean that the boy would have to die in order for the world to finally be rid of Voldemort. Such a cruel and sorrowful fate for a kind hearted boy who had suffered his whole life.

Practically all of the occupants in the room hadn't got as far as to realise that Harry must die in order for the piece of soul to be vanquished. The realisation hit them like a bolt of lightning.

Hermione had slumped back in her chair, her eyes unfocused and rivers pouring down her face. Ron was leaning over the back of his chair with his eyes closed. Mrs Weasley seemed beyond tears and now she simply looked lost. Mr Weasley and the twins still hadn't moved. Kingsley and Mad Eye simply stared at Harry, sorrow filling them as they thought of the life that had to be cut short. Remus had his head in his hands and Tonks' appearance seemed to have deteriorated to make her look like a very elderly, sick old lady.

The person with probably the least suspected reaction was Severus Snape.

Like most of the others in the room, Snape felt horrified, though to a lesser degree. Sure, he hated the Potter brat, but he did not wish him dead; his silent oath to Lily had caused him to always try his best to protect the boy. But it would appear that such a thing could not be done in this case.

He was also filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt, the likes of which he only ever felt when he thought of Lily, his Lily. It was his fault, he felt, that the boy was in such a situation. After all, the only time that this unimaginable event could have occurred is when the Dark Lord went to kill the boy when he was just one year old. If it had happened at any other time, then the Dark Lord would surely have been aware that he had done it, that he had made another horcrux. And so it was all his fault. If he had not overheard the prophecy, if he had not told the Dark Lord, if the Dark Lord had not sought out the Potters in order to kill the boy, then none of this would have happened. He did not like feeling guilty about anything to do with the Potter Brat- Harry- but he could not help it. His foolish actions as a youth had caused the boy to be doomed to a fate of long suffering and a premature death.

'_Forgive me, Lily. I did not know something like this would happen. Forgive me._' he prayed as he looked into the green eyes of the boy he forced himself to hate.

Harry watched everyone's reactions, and his heart warmed at what he saw. All of these people cared about him, and seemed devastated that Fate had dealt him such a hand in life. Even Moody and Snape showed their… _concern_, for lack of a better word. He had always thought about how people would react if he had indeed died, and though he had seen a small glimpse of how they would take it when he had been carried to the doors of Hogwarts in Hagrid's arms, seeing the emotions flash across their faces made him really appreciate the occupants of the kitchen. He hated to see them all so lost and miserable, but before he could say anything, a statement said in a Scottish brogue interrupted his thoughts.

"You said 'was', Mr Potter." McGonagall commented calmly. Harry, and the rest of the kitchen, looked at her with confusion.

"Erm… what?" he asked.

"You said 'was', which is a past tense phrase." she explained in a voice that reminded the currently fourteen year old that she was one of his strictest teachers. "'The last horcrux was me'. Is it safe to assume that that is no longer the case?"

Harry blinked owlishly at her. Amazement flooded him as he stared at the professor. Beside him, Ginny was openly gaping at the older woman.

The rest of the kitchen all seemed to sit straighter as one and swivel theirs eyes back and forth between the Scottish woman and the black haired teen , as though they were watching a very tense tennis match.

"Well, Mr Potter?" She asked when he did not answer. Harry cracked a smile at that.

"Your assumption would be correct, Professor." he finally said.

After a few more seconds of stunned silence, Sirius let out a great cry of relief at that as a few others let out hysterical giggles of liberation.

Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle again as he leaned across the table. "And how did this happen, my dear, wonderful boy?"

Harry smiled a little at his old mentor as Ginny leaned into his side. "It happened at the final battle." he held up his hand to forestall the inevitable questions. "Voldemort was waiting for me to surrender to him in the forbidden forest when I learned that I was a horcrux. So I did what I had to do; I went to meet him in the forest." he shrugged, as though it was an everyday thing to surrender to an evil megalomaniac. "I didn't even have my wand out. I just watched as he said the words and hit me with the Avada Kedavra."

A chorus of gasps rang out at those final words. Everyone was gaping at Harry, and Ginny had a strong suspicion that he was actually enjoying all of the drama. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"But then… How on earth are you still alive?" Hermione asked in a somewhat shrill voice. There were amazed nods of agreement. How had he survived another killing curse?

Harry untangled his left arm from Ginny and lifted up his right sleeve, revealing to all a small jagged scar that sat in the crook of his elbow.

"This is where Wormtail stabbed me in order to get some of my blood," he began to explain as he traced the white line. He ignored the growls that came from the remaining two marauders. "The blood that was used to bring Voldemort back to life. Because Voldemort was still alive, with my blood running through my veins, the blood that carried my mother's protection in it when he hit me with the killing curse, he inadvertently tethered me to life and allowed me the chance to come back to the world of the living and finish him off."

There was yet another silence at the end of his explanation (something that seemed to be happening a lot), except this one was filled with astonishment.

A few moments later, Dumbledore clapped his hands together and let out a laugh of glee. "So it was his own arrogance and ignorance that caused his downfall?"

"Yes, sir." Harry answered with a smirk of amusement at his mentor's reaction. Most of the inhabitants looked at him as if he had gone mad. "So, there you have it."

Sirius let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. "'There you have it'? That's all you have to say about that heap of emotion filled information? 'There you have it'?"

Harry shrugged at his godfather. "I've told you everything you need to know."

"That's a point," Remus interjected as Sirius began to splutter with indignation. "Why have you told so many of us? Surely you would only want a small number of people to know the truth, so why inform so many of us?"

"Good question." Harry admitted. It was Ginny, however, that properly answered it.

"We told you all because we feel you have a good reason to know and you would be useful at some point." she began to explain. "We already told you why we told the younger lot," the twins, Ron and Hermione looked indignant at being called 'the younger lot'. "and we told mum and dad because… well, they're my parents."

"And my in-laws." Harry interjected. The eldest Weasley's beamed at him. Ginny carried on.

"We also included Remus and Sirius as they are Harry's family for all intents and purposes." Said people looked gratified and prideful. "The professors were told as they have a wealth of knowledge that we could use as an advantage. And they should know in case we break any rules along the way." she ignored the looks of Snape and McGonagall sent her and the twinkle she received off Dumbledore. "And the rest of you are Aurors and can be our eyes and ears at the Ministry. Plus we trust you all." she ended simply.

Nobody quiet knew what to say as they could not find any arguments with the teen's logic.

"But what about the others? You said to them that you know about the horcrux and prophecy. Not to mention the fact that you told them you were from the future and Ginny blurted out that she was pregnant!" Hermione ranted in a huff. Ginny blushed at the last statement while Harry chuckled a little until she elbowed him in the side.

"True. I did say that." Harry answered in an unconcerned voice. Hermione just blinked at him for a moment.

"But then why are you not panicking? You told them some highly classified stuff! They might say it at the wrong time and then who knows who would find out!" she punctuated her sentence by throwing her arms up and gesturing agitatedly at her friend.

"Simple. I cast a memory charm on them as they were leaving the kitchen."

Hermione's mouth dropped open and a few laughed quietly at the sight. Moody fixed both eyes on Harry with an approving stare.

"No you didn't. I didn't see you do anything." Hermione stubbornly pointed out.

Harry gave a slightly smug, yet gentle smile. "Just because you didn't see it, Hermione, doesn't mean that it didn't happen." The tone he used strongly reminded some people of the venerable old headmaster who was currently looking simply delighted.

"You never cease to amaze me, Harry." he chuckled. Harry grinned innocently at him as the tension in the room lessoned slightly.

However, one person felt the need to disturb the new found peace.

"I hate to sound like the voice of doom," Kingsley started in his deep voice. Molly and Sirius frowned at him as everyone immediately tensed up again. "But I have a question."

Harry looked at his old friend for a moment- not that Kingsley was aware that in the future they would strike up a close friendship due to the fact that the Auror ended up being Harry's boss and advisor- before he answered in a wary voice. "Erm… well, what did you want to ask?"

"I know you have explained why you are no longer a horcrux," Harry nodded at him as several of the adults shot him confused looks. The 'younger lot' merely watched things play out. "But wouldn't all of that cancel out and be irrelevant considering the fact that you and Miss Weasley have somehow traveled back in time?"

Harry sat back as he started to contemplate the question as Sirius slumped back in his chair.

"Great. More bad news." he muttered. "Where's that Firewhiskey?" Molly shot him an annoyed look.

"Actually, I don't think it's bad news after all, Padfoot." Harry reassure in a far away voice.

"Nah, it's not bad news at all!" Ron said sarcastically. Harry flickered his gaze towards his mate; he could hear the underlying tone of anger in Ron's voice and he knew that he was the cause of it. He would have to find a moment to talk to his friend and soon, before there was a repeat occurrence of their fourth year when they weren't speaking.

"Do you have an idea, Harry?" Mr Weasley asked him, the concern strongly evident in his voice. "It does seem like what Kingsley is saying is true."

"I don't think so." Harry shook his head. His brow was still furrowed and even Ginny was looking at him, waiting for an explanation. Ginny hadn't even thought of the possibility that the horcrux still existed and now she dearly hoped that it didn't. She didn't think she could stand it if Harry had to 'die' for a second time, regardless of the fact that he would probably come back to life… again.

"Well?" Snape snapped at him. He had a massive headache and wanted nothing more than to drown in a glass of his finest elfish wine.

"In the future, the horcrux no longer existed. Correct?" he asked everyone.

"Well, we would have to take your word for it." Tonks said warily as she nodded her head along with everyone else.

"Oh, it was destroyed, I assure you. Anyway, mine and Ginny's mind and souls were apparently transported back in time, along with our child, and into our younger selves." Harry said all of this in a tone that suggested that he thought it closed the matter. Ginny smiled softly at the words '_our child_', but she had to admit, she was very confused.

"But that doesn't explain anything!" Molly complained loudly. The only person not to agree with her was Dumbledore.

"But it does! Think about it. My mind and soul, along with Ginny's, were transported back in time and into our younger selves bodies, effectively causing the mind and soul's of our 13 and 14 year olds selves to cease to exist anymore. Therefore, as my soul was clearly my own in the future, Voldemort's soul no longer exists within me now."

Dumbledore nodded his head thoughtfully. "That is a rather splendid explanation for such a complicated situation."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Hermione interjected in frustration. "If we were to believe that this is true, where is your proof? You can't just create a theory and say it's true without some kind of evidence!" everyone turned to Harry expectantly.

"There is evidence. First of all, our baby is here with us," he punctuated his words by placing his hand on Ginny's stomach. Ginny's hand covered his own, causing Ron to scowl at them both. "At this moment, the baby is a part of Ginny's mind and soul as she is still carrying the child within her. The second piece of evidence is that my scar does not hurt at all."

Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius and Remus fixed the boy with piercing stares.

"What do you mean? It's been hurting a lot recently?" Remus asked frantically. Harry nodded.

"Practically every day since Voldemort's return. Or at least it did. It no longer hurts."

People had started to believe him now and silence once again rained supreme in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Well, now that all of that excitement is over," Ginny sardonically said. "I am heading up to bed. It's been a long day." she smiled wryly before turning to her husband. "You coming?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Everyone expected the shout to be coming from Mrs Weasley. However the occupants of the room- minus Harry- were surprised to see that Ron had beaten her to it.

"What?" Ginny asked, a frown on her face.

"You heard! You are not going to bed together!" he spat out though clenched teeth as he glared at his sister and- possibly former- best friend. Mrs Weasley nodded enthusiastically in agreement with her youngest son.

"And why ever not? In case you haven't noticed, Ronald, I am hormonal, tired and wish to go to bed with my _husband_," she emphasised the word as she fixed her brother with a steely glare. "and besides, I'm already pregnant! What else could happen?"

Harry groaned quietly as she said the last part, positive that it was not helping their case at all. Hermione sent him a look of sympathy while Sirius looked like he wanted to laugh in his godson's face. The rest were just swiveling their gazes between the two Weasley's, not entirely sure whether they should be concerned or give into their amusement.

The twins were the only ones who didn't have a problem; they just openly smirked at what was going on. Sure, they didn't the like the idea of Harry and Ginny sharing a bed, but their little from-the-future sister had some very good points. Fred and George believed them when they said that they were from the future; the wealth of knowledge that they had passed on made it impossible for them to be lying in their eyes. So it didn't bother them that their sister wished to share a bed with her husband. They were married and had a kid on the way, so why not just let them? The damage was already done.

Clearly, Ron and Mrs Weasley did not share their sentiments.

"You are not sharing a room with him!" Harry grimaced when Ron jabbed his finger in his direction. It also didn't help when the tone he used to say '_him_' made it seem like Voldemort was just a friendly neighbor down the street. "Your 13 years old!"

"Physically! Yesterday, I was nearly 22! What has it got to do with you anyway?" Ginny screeched at him. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were flashing- a sure sign of danger.

"I agree with Ron. You are simply too young and we cannot allow you to share a room with Harry." Mrs Weasley added in a voice that showed that she thought that was the end of the matter. Unfortunately, Ginny either didn't get the message or she just ignored it.

"EXCUSE ME!" Ginny's voice had risen even more, causing the people closest to her- Harry, Hermione and Tonks- to cringe away from her.

"DO NOT TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, YOUNG LADY! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG! WE WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN!" Molly screamed back at her. She then rounded on Arthur. "Will we, Arthur?"

Arthur's face clearly showed his desire not be apart of the row as he looked like a deer trapped in the headlights. Fortunately for him, he was saved from answering by Harry.

"Ginny, maybe it's best we sleep in separate rooms, at least until everyone gets their heads round the situation." he suggested quietly to his enraged wife.

The fierce glare that Ginny shot at Harry caused him to flinch back in his seat. This did not help Sirius with his fight for seriousness. The twins shook silently with laughter.

"Oh, I see." Ginny whispered with sarcastic venom. Harry sank even further in his seat. "The Great Harry Potter has spoken!" Harry frowned at that, thinking that it wasn't fair. Ginny wasn't finished, however.

"Well, fine!" she said in a shrill voice as she pushed her chair back with an audible screech.

"Fine!" she repeated again as she stormed towards the door. She pulled it sharply open and turned to give the black haired teen another poisonous look. "Hope you sleep well, dear." she derisively commented before sweeping out of the door in a huff.

Harry sank even further in his chair at the double meaning in her parting words.

Molly looked slightly guilty at the way Harry had just been treated when all he was trying to do was keep the piece between Ginny and the family. The suddenly tired look on his face made her heart twist with sadness as confusion settled in the forefront of her mind.

Harry wearily rubbed his hand across his forehead as he shot a sideways glance at Ron. "Thanks for that, mate."

Ron merely sneered at Harry, before sweeping out of the room in a fashion similar to Ginny.

Sirius couldn't help it anymore. He let out a great bark of laughter, which was quickly followed by a gasp of pain as Remus smacked him upside the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Sirius complained as he rubbed his head. Remus merely rolled his eyes at the mutt. Snape sneered at Sirius' antics.

"What was all that about?" Tonks asked as she hid a smile. She felt sorry for the poor boy, but it was rather humorous; especially when he cowered away from the small girl.

Harry sighed. "That was Ron being a prat and a tired Ginny being run by hormones." This time, a ring of chuckles sounded around the room.

"On that note, I believe it is time for us to retire to our beds." Dumbledore said in a jolly tone. Harry glared halfheartedly at him which caused the twinkle in those piercing blue eyes to flare once more. "Harry, I shall be around in the morning to discuss some more things with you. Namely that horcrux that resides in this house."

"Sure."

A chorus of goodnights rang about the room as the order members left the kitchen to go to their beds or respective homes.

Harry was one of the last to leave. "It's good to be back." he muttered under his breath as he hoped that Ron would not kill him in his sleep.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Sirius sat alone in the kitchen of his family's home, a cup of hot tea and whiskey cradled in between his hands on the table.

His mind was still spinning so much from the earlier revelations that it had caused him to be unable to sleep. Now all he was doing was staring at a spot on the wall as he tried to process it all.

It was all just so maddening!- something that Sirius did not need any help with. He believed his godson when he said that he and Ginny had traveled back in time. He knew that he would not make up such a thing. In Sirius' opinion, the time travel was the least important thing. He had just seemed to accept the theory and move on; it wasn't actually as far fetched as everyone else seemed to think it was.

Before his thoughts could carry on wandering about the night's events, the kitchen door slowly creeped open before Harry walked through it.

"Oh." he stopped short when he noticed his godfather sat at the table alone. "Hey. Didn't expect anyone else to be awake." he sat down across from the physically older man and used his wand to conjure up another cup of tea identical to his godfather's.

"Couldn't sleep. Anyway, aren't you not supposed to do magic during the holidays?" he raised an eyebrow mockingly at Harry, who merely grinned back.

"Supposedly. But the Ministry can't track it here. The wards and the fact that so many fully qualified witches and wizards pass through everyday make it impossible."

Sirius' other eyebrow raised in surprise. "I didn't know you knew that." Harry merely shrugged, but offered no explanation. Sirius decided to let it drop for now.

"So, why are you down here?" he asked instead.

"Same as you. Couldn't sleep."

"Aww. Missing your beautiful wife?" Sirius teased. Harry smiled softly at the man he thought he'd never see again.

"Yeah. Just a bit." his voice was tender and his eyes unfocused a little as he thought of the red haired woman who was asleep upstairs. Sirius watched the expression on Harry's face with a look of wonder. The last time he had seen Harry, the boy had been practically begging him not to leave him in the aftermath if the third task. The young lad had been scared and traumatized and it had felt like physical pain for Sirius to leave him, especially when those haunted green eyes begged him not to go, to stay and help ease the pain.

Now, the Harry that sat in front of him was married with a kid on the way, and Sirius thought that he'd never seen him look so happy.

"You and Ginny seem good together. You both seem genuinely happy and content." he commented as he took another sip of his tea.

"Thanks. She makes me happy." Harry answered softly.

"Will she still be angry at you in the morning?" Sirius couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered how the boy in front of him had flinched and cowered with one look from the red spitfire.

Harry chuckled along with him. "I don't know. With all of the imbalanced hormones floating around inside her, I never know how she's going to react anymore." he shrugged with a good natured grin on his face. "I'll just take it as it comes." Sirius laughed a little bit more.

"So, finding all of this weird?" Harry questioned as he tilted his head to the side. Sirius nodded his head vigorously and mumbled around a mouthful of tea.

"Hell yes. I'm just trying not to think about it too much. If I do that, then my head doesn't hurt. Besides, your still Harry. Just with more knowledge and a new family."

Harry grinned at him, satisfied with the answer before a silence descended on the pair, punctuated only by the sounds of swallowing. Both men were lost in their own thoughts, which, strangely, revolved around the same subject.

Sirius broached it first.

"I die, don't I?"

Harry's eyes snapped up to look into Sirius' grey ones. He quickly looked away, which confirmed Sirius' theory. "Thought so."

"How did you know?" Harry said softly. His cup now lay abandoned as he stared sadly at the man across from him. Sirius sat back in his chair and shrugged.

"The way you've been looking at me all night. Like you cant believe that I'm actually there, like I'll disappear at any moment, like a dream. And earlier, when Ginny first woke up this morning, she said my name in the same disbelief, along with Remus and Fred's."

Neither of them spoke again as they stared at each other until Harry swallowed thickly against the tears that were forming.

"Yes. You die. And it's all my fault."

The broken whisper caused Sirius to crease his eyebrows. The fact that his suspicions had been confirmed didn't really bother him. He already knew he died at some point, as every eventually did. What concerned him was the fact that Harry seemed to be heaping the blame upon himself.

"What do you mean, it's all your fault?" he asked quietly.

Harry sucked in a ragged breath that did nothing to steady his voice. "Voldemort tricked me. I thought he had you, so I went after him. Only neither of you were there- only a group of Death Eaters." Sirius' eyes widened in worry. "Eventually the order came to help and you came too. To protect me. You ended up dueling Bellatrix," Sirius startled at the name. "You were mocking her and when you were distracted, she hit a spell at you, causing you to fall into the Veil of Death."

Sirius sat there, stunned. '_Well, at least I went down fighting,_' he thought to himself. '_But why does Harry blame himself._'

"Why is any of that your fault?" he asked the boy sat across from him.

"Because," Harry half wailed as tears leaked from his eyes. He had not let himself feel like this for many years, and now he couldn't seem to turn off the grief. "If I didn't let him trick me, if I didn't go running after him, then you wouldn't have been forced to come and save me!" His sobs rendered him incapable of speech.

Sirius looked gob smacked for a few moments before he stood from the table and walked round the other side. When he reached his godson, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around him.

"Harry, none of that is your fault! Voldemort is manipulative, he uses people against you. You had no way of knowing." He rested his head on the boy's black hair and closed his eyes. "You didn't curse me and cause me to fall. It wasn't you. If anything, it was my fault. I shouldn't have let my arrogance take over."

Harry just continued to cry. Sirius wasn't saying anything that he didn't already know, but the fact that it was _Sirius_ who was telling him all of those things, made him feel better. He felt comforted at the reassurance and his mind was put at ease a little as he listened to the words.

Neither of them said anything more, they just held onto each other, gaining comfort from the other.

Eventually, another thought occurred to Sirius.

"So, when does all of this happen?"

Harry's reply came in a hoarse and cracked voice. "At the end of the next school year. This time next year, you'll be dead."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly as he fought not to swear. Only one thought stopped his mind from tumbling into chaos.

"Don't worry, Harry. We're going to change this. I'm not leaving you."

Harry nodded against him. "Yes. We're going to change this."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The sound of the kitchen being thrown open jolted Harry Potter from his deep sleep. With a jolt, he sat bolt right up from where he was slumped in a wooden chair. He soon regretted the movement, however, when a spasm of pain throbbed in his forehead. The groan from opposite him alerted him to the fact that Sirius was feeling just as rough as he was.

After the pair had had their little heart to heart (and a little cry, which won't be mentioned to the others), they had decided to forgo the tea and go straight to the Firewhiskey in an attempt to liven up the mood. It had started out innocent, until they decided to see what the limits of Harry's teenage body was. Apparently, and surprisingly, his body could actually hold quite a lot of alcohol.

But now, as he rested his head gingerly back on the table, Harry severely regretted drinking with Sirius; his head hurt, his stomach rolled uneasily, and, because of his awkward sleeping position, his neck and back ached.

There was an annoyed huff and a few chuckles coming from the doorway that made Harry wonder who had just walked in.

"Just look at the state of you two!" '_Ah. Molly. Ooops._' Harry thought. "What have you been… is that Firewhiskey?" The high pitched sound the Weasley matriarch was emitting caused both of the dark haired men to cringe slightly.

"Molly, will you please keep it down? My head feels like Kreacher's bashed me around the head with a frying pan." Sirius's muffled whine could be heard. Harry snorted as a memory of Kreacher doing exactly that, but to a different criminal, flashed across his mind, before it was cut off by his low groan. More snickering broke out from around him.

"No, I will not! It's your own fault! And just look at poor Harry! The first night he's here, and you get him drunk!" She carried on, although her voice was actually quieter than it was before.

Harry lifted his head slowly and peered through one bleary eye. He could just barely make out the fuzzy outlines of the twins, Remus, Tonks (who had apparently slept over) and Hermione before he tried to focus on Mrs Weasley.

"Actually, Molly, I came up with most of the reasons why we should drink more. I think Sirius was actually trying to be the voice of reason at one point." he pointed out. He was sure he heard Remus mutter a 'like that would happen!' under his breath.

"It doesn't matter! You are under age…"

Harry frowned. "I will have you know that I am 23 years old, thank you very much!" a part of him cringed at the childish way that came out.

"Yes, but dear Harry-kins-"

"You clearly aren't 23 years old-"

"We mean, have you seen your scrawny body?"

"It's enough to make anyone think you were about 12, right Fred?"

"Right George." The twins conversed in their dizzying way. Harry glared half heartedly at them.

That was when he sensed someone sit down beside him and pass him his glasses. After putting them on, the form of Ginny came into focus. She didn't look too happy.

"I can't leave you alone for one night, can I?" She frowned. Harry gave her a weak smile.

"It would seem so."

"How did you end up drinking, anyway? I thought you went to bed?" A slight look of bitterness flashed in her eyes before she shoved it away. Ginny still felt slightly betrayed from last night, but the larger part of her brain- that was more logical this morning- knew that he hadn't done it because he wanted to be apart from her, but rather so that she wouldn't fight with her parents. While she thought that was sweet and completely Harry-like, it had greatly annoyed her that after such a long and confusing day she couldn't just lie down with her husband's arms wrapped around her.

"I did, but couldn't get to sleep. So I came down here and started talking to Sirius." He shrugged casually, but a flash of something in his eyes caused Ginny's frown to hold a hint of sadness. She knew why he couldn't sleep and that made her feel more than a little guilty for her parting comment last night.

"Harry, I'm so sorry about-" she began, but was cut off by a shake of Harry's head.

"Don't worry about it." he said as he intertwined his hand with hers and place a small kiss on her cheek.

Molly, who had been watching the whole interaction, smiled a little as she watched the pair. The way Harry had instantly forgiven her daughter for her harsh sounding words last night and the guilt that played on her youngest's face caused a tiny sliver of doubt to enter her mind, but she firmly pushed it away. They were too young to share a bed. Satisfied with her resolve, she turned around to start on making breakfast when Albus Dumbledore walked through the door.

"Good morning everybody." He greeted cheerfully to all of the kitchen's current occupants. A chorus of 'Hello Albus/professor' sounded back at him.

"Would you like some breakfast, Albus?" Molly asked without turning around from her place at the stove.

"Ah, yes please, Molly dear." He smiled at her back before turning around to look at two of the people that sat at the old table. He chuckled at what he saw; Harry was sat with his eyes closed and his head leaning on Ginny's shoulder and Sirius was sat with his elbows on the table and his own head cradled in his hands. "Rough night, boys?" he innocently asked.

Fred and George threw their heads back with laughter while Tonks snorted and Hermione and Remus giggled to themselves. Harry and Sirius glared at everyone.

The laughter was soon cut off by a low groan as Ginny suddenly leapt to her feet and bolted from the room, a hand clamped to her mouth. Harry was only a few steps behind her, wincing as he followed.

"Oh dear." Molly sighed as she set down several plates of food.

"What?" Tonks asked, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Why did she run off like that?"

"Morning sickness. It's murder with us Prewitt-Weasley girls." Molly smiled grimly. "I remember when I had it with my lot. She'll be fine, she just needs a hearty meal down her." And with that, she began to bustle around the stove once more.

"Ugh, I think I might go and join her." Sirius grumbled as his skin tinged green.

Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't know you were pregnant, Padfoot."

This set people off again, including Sirius who rolled his eyes and flinched at the noise.

It was while they were laughing when Ron came into the room.

"What's so funny?" he mumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Hermione chuckled once more. "Never mind. You had to be there." She waved his protests off and tucked into her breakfast.

Ron eventually huffed and gave up asking. "Where are- oh." his new question was abruptly cut off when the pair he was about to ask about walked into the room.

"Alright, dear?" Mrs Weasley questioned Ginny as she placed a plate in front of her. Ginny nodded weakly and Harry gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Ron scowled darkly at them, before ignoring them completely.

The only sounds to be heard after that were the scrapings of knives and forks against plates until everyone had finished eating. Harry had hardly eaten anything and had eventually given his nearly-full plate to his wife, who had then wolfed it down after finishing her own plate. Her brothers stared at her with equal parts amusement and pride.

"I'll clean up." Tonks cheerfully stated before anybody could protest. She gathered the plates in her arms before standing up. She got halfway across the room before she tripped over the legs of one of the twin's chairs and the crockery tumbled out of her arms.

"Tonks!" Mrs Weasley groaned. The girl grinned sheepishly at the older woman before waving her wand at the broken pieces.

"Arthur gone on guard duty?" Remus asked between sniggers.

"Yes. He should have relieved Sturgis at five am." Dumbledore calmly answered before turning his gaze to Harry. "Now, I believe we have a few things to discuss."

"Yes sir." he replied as he turned his body to face the headmaster. Ginny also turned her own body, determined to be apart of the conversation. "The horcrux?"

"Yes, we will come to that in a moment. First of all, I wish to ask you about your upcoming trial at the Ministry."

Harry frowned. "I cannot tell you every little detail about the future, sir."

"I know, Harry. You have divulged a wealth of knowledge in the past 24 hours which is enormously beneficial to us." He said with a kindly smile. "But, this is quite a minor plot point, one would think. I am sure that a little extra information wouldn't hurt. I merely wished to know if the hearing would be as fair and just as I expect it to be."

Ginny snorted at the old man's words. She stared defiantly at the looks people gave her.

"I take it Dumbledore is once again underestimating our dear Minister." Sirius observed, a look of disgust on his face at the thought of Cornelius Fudge.

"Sirius! Don't be so rude!" Molly reprimanded. Before Sirius could retort, Albus cut back into the conversation.

"Of course, Sirius has a point. I do tend to hope for the best in some people." He nodded his head at the young animagus before turning to the red headed female. "Now, would you care to elaborate on your reaction?"

Ginny angrily huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "The 'hearing'," her voice dripped with sarcasm as she stretched out that word. "Was nothing more than Fudge's way of showing his supposed dominance. He might as well have just peed on Harry." Said boy grimaced in disgust as the twins silently shook with laughter.

"Ah. I was afraid of that happening." Dumbledore frowned heavily.

"What happened?" Hermione interjected; her face was twisted with concern at the treatment the Minister had given her best friend. Harry let out a frustrated sigh.

"In a nut shell, he deliberately changed the time of the hearing to make me look bad, didn't allow me to finish answering any questions, claimed I was telling rehearsed stories and tried me in front of the entire Wizengamot."

There were noises of outrage and disgust at his words. Even Ron dropped his icy demeanor in favour of an ugly glower.

"He did what?" Sirius hissed, a feral look in his eyes. Nobody deserved to be treated like that, especially not his godson! He wanted very badly to waltz into the Ministry and show Fudge who was more 'dominant'.

Dumbledore sighed a long suffering sigh. "Well, we cannot allow it to happen that way this time round." His tone effectively showed that that was the end of the current conversation. "Now, I believe we should move on to the whereabouts of the locket horcrux." He looked expectantly at Ginny and Harry, as did everyone else.

"Right." Harry began as he rubbed his hand over his forehead. "The locket horcrux is somewhere in this house…"

"Wait!" Sirius interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him. "I have a question that needs to be answered."

"Yes?" Harry tersely asked. He had already expected this question off the older man, but he wished he had been wrong and Sirius would just drop it. But, apparently fate didn't like him that much.

"How did the horcrux get here in the first place?"

"I'm not the right person to be asking-".

"But you know how?"

"Yes."

"Well? Tell me." Sirius sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His look was expectant and defiant.

"It has something to do with your brother." Harry sighed. Sirius nearly fell out of his seat in shock as Remus and Tonks looked at him, concerned. George, Fred, Ron and Hermione didn't even know that Sirius had a brother.

"That little Death Eater?" Sirius spat out; the younger lot flinching at the venom in his words as they processed what he had said- '_Death Eater_'. "What has he-"

"Ask Kreacher. He knows better than me."

"KREACH-"

"Sirius, shut up! I can't tell you more!" Harry snapped at him. He hated to give him such short and nonsensical answers, but he really felt that Kreacher would be able to explain it better. And maybe, just maybe, the man and elf could get along a little better than they had been. He wasn't keeping his fingers crossed for it, but it was still a possibility. "Now, I can't quite remember which room the horcrux is in…" he bit his lip and turned to look into Ginny's brown eyes. He could see that she was thinking back to when they had found and thrown out the locket many years ago. Everyone was quiet as they watched the couple think.

"There was that music box…" Ginny said quietly. "The one that made everyone sleepy…"

Harry hummed in agreement. "And the Order of Merlin… and the spider tweezers…"

They were quiet for a few more moments before they both snapped their eyes back to each other. A quick silent conformation that they were thinking the same thing, and then the pair stood swiftly and headed towards the door.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Ron shouted out to them, his angry glare back in full force. Harry inwardly sighed at the look. It looked like a bit of sleep hadn't cooled down his friend's fury.

"To get the locket. Wait here." He turned around, only to look back at the headmaster as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh, and sir? Could you possibly have Fawkes bring the Sorting Hat please? Thanks." And with that, they both raced out of the room, leaving some stunned and irritated people staring after them.

A few minutes and a flash of flames later, the Sorting Hat lay limply on the worn table along with a heavy, ugly gold necklace with emeralds imbedded in the shape of a snake on its front. The witches and wizards just stood in a loose circle, staring at the unattractive piece of jewelry.

"That's it?" Remus asked. Ginny nodded.

"You are quite sure?" Dumbledore probed. Harry snapped his gaze to the old man.

"Yes. I spent many months around that thing. I know what it is." He said bitterly. He hated the locket with practically every fibre of his being. He had had that thing around his neck, had it mess with his thoughts, had had it plant dark images in his mind, had the cool metal press against his skin. The locket had caused him to loose his best friend for a while, had nearly made him attack his friend, before it had fused with his own flesh and had to be severed off his skin.

Yes, he hated that locket.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it tightly. She knew how he was feeling, could sense it in the rigid way he held his body. The thing that lay before them had nearly destroyed him and she would be glad to see the end of it.

The twins snorted.

"Can't say I'd give that to my girlfriend at Christmas." George commented. Fred nodded his head eagerly in agreement. Mrs Weasley glared at them.

"What did you need the hat for?" Tonks asked. Harry dragged himself out of his thoughts as it took a moment for him to register what she had said. When he made sense of her words, he grinned at the metamorphmagus.

"Watch and learn." he said, before picked up the hat. The people surrounding the table watched in fascination and a little bewilderment as he shoved his hand inside the brim and furrowed his brow in concentration. A few moments later, he pulled his arm out from the hat, but instead of being empty handed, a gleaming silver sword encrusted with rubies on the hilt came from the shallow depths of the Sorting Hat.

Harry smirked at the goggling faces that stared at the sword in his hand with amazement. Although Ron and Dumbledore had seen the sword and knew where it came from, they still couldn't help but marvel at what Harry had just done.

"Whoa." Fred and George whispered in unison. That seemed to break the stunned attitude everyone had.

"But that's… that's… what is that?" Remus stuttered.

"It's called a sword, Moony." Sirius mumbled distractedly. He received a half hearted glare from the werewolf.

"I can see that. But where did it come from? Who does it belong to?"

"This," Harry said as he held the sword up for all to see. "came from the headmaster's office at Hogwarts and it once belonged to Godric Gryffindor."

Ginny giggled outright at the astounded expressions that flickered on their faces.

"But how is it going to help?" Mrs Weasley inquired, puzzled.

"Oh, I know!" Hermione gasped out. She ignored the 'of course!' that came from the Weasley children and Harry. "It's impregnated with Basilisk venom, which has only one known and rare cure; Phoenix tears!"

"How the…" Sirius began, before he shook his head. It was useless asking such things- he would get no response or answer from any of them.

"Correct, Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled at the bushy haired girl. "From what I know of horcruxes, the Basilisk venom that lies within the sword will indeed destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul for good." Harry nodded in agreement. It was quiet again as people looked from Harry to the sword, and then to the locket.

"Well, go on then!" Tonks exclaimed. "Stab it!"

Harry took a deep breath before he let out a hiss of parseltongue that caused the rest of the room to shiver slightly. The locket's hinges clicked before it opened slowly, exposing two small window panes that were filled with a black cloudy substance. Harry stared at the locket's interior for a brief moment, half expecting a pair of red eyed to appear like they had last time, before he raised the sword and quickly brought it down to stab the tainted windows.

A high pitched scream of sheer pain filled the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place before it died down, leaving behind nothing but a few furls of smoke that escaped from the ruined pendant.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The few weeks between Harry's arrival at the Headquarters of the Order and the date of his trial at the Ministry passed with a familiar routine. Each day a new room was sorted through and cleaned and dusted to within an inch of the occupant's lives- the Twins stealing some of the more questionable items to investigate for their joke shop. One of the few things that happened during that time was the talk Harry and Ginny had when her older brother's attitude started to become unbearable. Ron still wasn't talking to either Harry or Ginny and had decided to communicate instead with a very watchful eye and some heated glares, something that irritated the latter severely.

"He just needs to grow up!" Ginny exclaimed as she paced the living room. Harry watched her warily from his seat on the sofa, afraid that she might channel that anger towards him. "I mean, he just needs to get over it! Everyone else has!"

"It was a massive shock to him, Ginny. Hell, it shocked us! We've just adapted easier." He reminded her softly. Ginny barely even looked at him as she ignored his comments.

"Honestly, you'd think we'd have suggested we show him how the baby was made! Oh, but we can't even do that because we aren't allowed to sleep in the same room!" She growled. Harry had heard this line many times during the duration of the past few weeks. Even though Ginny had calmed down about the situation and had stopped being angry at Harry, she still had random bouts of emotion when she was highly hormonal. Like she was now.

"Gin," Harry said soothingly as he grabbed her hands and led her to the sofa. Once they were sat down, he wrapped his arms around her waist and she leant against him. "It'll all blow over soon. Just let everyone calm down and adjust. Besides, all of this stress isn't good for poor David."

Ginny's brow creased and she gave Harry a funny look. "Who's David?" Her question received an innocent look.

"The baby, of course."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. She moved slightly away from Harry to take in his facial expression and see if he was joking.

"Oh dear Merlin, You're serious aren't you? You want us to name the baby David." She looked aghast at the thought.

Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah. Why not? I think it's a nice name."

"No. We are not naming the baby David." She stubbornly replied.

"What? Why?"

"David Potter? No. Doesn't have that ring to it. Besides, it's a completely normal name." She persisted. Harry was now the one giving out odd looks.

"What do you mean it 'doesn't have a ring to it'? Of course it does! David Potter." He repeated the name several times as if to prove his point. "And you don't want to name our baby David because it's too normal?" He raised an eyebrow incredulously at her. Ginny responded while crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.

"We are not having David. Besides, how could _the_ _Harry Potter_ have a child with a normal name?" She wrinkled her nose in fake disgust. Harry chuckled at her. "Now, what about Paul?"

Harry groaned and leaned his head against the back of the lumpy sofa. "No!"

Ginny giggled. "Fine. Dylan?"

"Er… no. John?"

"Uh-uh. Simon?"

"What's with all the biblical names?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Charles?"

"Too formal. Hamish?"

"Hamish? Are you crazy?" Harry exclaimed, horrified. Ginny burst out in a fit of giggles. Harry couldn't resist joining in. He hugged his wife closer to him as they both let out tears of laughter.

"Wait, how are we even sure if it's a boy? It might be a girl." Ginny pointed out after they had calmed down a bit. Harry hummed thoughtfully as he pulled Ginny back into his arms.

"It just seems more likely that it'll be a boy. I mean, look at your family. And I was an only child, and so was my dad and obviously we were both guys." Ginny nodded as she accepted the explanation. A few more minutes passed before Ginny broke the silence.

"How about James?" she asked quietly. Harry snapped his head down to hers and stared fathomlessly into her deep brown eyes. She just stared steadily back, a small smile on her face as she watched him swallow thickly a few times.

"I-I…. James?" He asked breathlessly. Ginny nodded at him.

"Yes, James. I like it, and I'm sure we'll raise him to be brave enough to honour his Granddad." Harry's answering smile was blinding as he pulled her in for a sweet kiss, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered against her lips as he hugged her closer.

"James Potter." Ginny said after they pulled away from each other. Her joyful expression soon turned confused when she saw Harry shake his head.

"No. James Sirius Potter." He said instead. The pleading tone in his voice made her smile once more. Ginny grinned once more as she grabbed Harry's hand and rested it on her stomach.

"Yes. James Sirius Potter. A great prankster in the making."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry chuckled under his breath as Arthur Weasley nervously shifted from foot to foot beside him. The duo were stood in a corridor that had no windows decorating its black, bare walls, facing the door that lead to Courtroom Ten. It was currently 7 am, two hours before Harry's hearing was supposed to 'officially' start. In actual fact, the court case would start in one hour.

After hours of deliberations, Dumbledore and Harry had decided that the best course of action was to be a few hours early in order to avoid the mad rush that had happened last time. Once they were inside the courtroom, however, there was only so much they could do.

"And here I thought that I was the one standing trial." Harry commented lightly as he watched his father-in-law begin to pace. The balding red haired man blushed a little around his ears as he stopped and looked at Harry. The young man was leaning casually against the wall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit trousers. Arthur smiled a little as he thought of the differences he saw in the young man.

Before he had seen Harry this summer, Arthur had been worried about the teen. After the Third Task of the Triwizard tournament, Arthur had begun to seriously fear for the teen's mental health. He had looked so small and weak and vulnerable as he sat stiffly in his wife's arms that Arthur was positive that a small piece of the selfless boy had been lost forever. It had been a wide worry for most members of the Order that Harry would start to seclude himself and become a shadow of the boy they were all fond of.

That had not been the case, however. Instead of the broken boy they had all expected, they received a time traveling man that wowed them all.

Arthur secretly thanked all of the lucky stars in the universe for sending Harry and his daughter's minds and souls back in time. Even though it was a situation that none of them were prepared for, and no one knew how to solve, Arthur was thankful. The man he saw everyday excluded a confidence that he had never seen in the Boy-Who-Lived before. He was still selfless and caring and polite and just _Harry, _but now he seemed to have become a strong and successful leader.

Harry's relationship with Ginny was the thing that made Arthur smile the most, though. They both seemed so comfortable with each other as they laughed and messed around, yet it was the moments where they looked at each other with such tenderness and love that warmed the patriarch's heart.

He did not actually agree with his wife on the young couple's sleeping arrangement. As far as Arthur was concerned, they had proven that they could be mature and responsible and that was enough for him to allow them to sleep in the same bed. He vowed that he would talk to Molly when his work shift was over.

"Sorry. I'm just nervous." He answered Harry's earlier comment. The black haired boy smiled reassuringly at him, but before he could say anything, another voice cut in.

"What are you doing down here?" Harry and Arthur turned around to look at the owner of the flustered and blustering voice and were unsurprised to see the slowly reddening face of Cornelius Fudge.

"I believe Mr Potter is here for his hearing, Minister. I was just escorting him down here." Mr Weasley answered in a forced polite tone. Fudge apparently didn't notice as he advance on the duo.

"H-how did you know his hearing would be here?" He asked in a frantic tone. Harry almost smirked as he saw Fudge's composure slip a little.

"I heard a rumour wandering around the offices, so we thought we'd come down here just to make sure. Lucky we got here a few hours early, eh Harry?" Arthur winked covertly at the young teen who grinned back and nodded.

Fudge spluttered for a few moments before he drew himself up to his very unimpressive height. "Very well. Arthur, you can leave now. Mr Potter can wait inside the courtroom." He ordered before turning on his heel and waltzing clumsily through the door. Harry sighed before pulling away from the wall.

"I'll be here when you come out Harry." Mr Weasley smiled at him before laying his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good luck, son." and with that, he walked back up the corridor. Harry couldn't help but look after him, his heart still lifted after being called 'son'. He soon snapped out of it though, and walked through the door into the Courtroom.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The atmosphere in Courtroom Ten was uncomfortable and tense. Harry and Fudge had been the only ones in the room for roughly half an hour before the room started to fill. They both studiously ignored each other as Harry sat in the chained chair and Fudge bustled over his papers.

Harry's eyes roamed over the full courtroom, checking for any signs of change from his memory of his last hearing. Nothing seemed out of place and as his brain processed this fact, he relaxed more and more into the chair. He deliberately made sure his eyes did not stray near the Minister and to the woman sat beside him. He did not want to shout out and make his case even worse for himself; who knew what Fudge would do then.

"Are we all ready to begin?" Fudge asked the Court. When he received murmurs of agreement, he nodded to the bespectacled man who sat slightly below him. Harry followed his gaze and his mouth turned don at the corners a little. It saddened him that the Percy Weasley sat in this room despised him and had turned his back on his family to believe in a power hungry, image conscious prat. In the future, Percy had told Harry on a quiet afternoon at the Burrow that estranging himself from his family was the biggest mistake he had ever done, and if he could turn back time, then he would go back to his family in a heartbeat. Harry could only hope that Percy came around quicker this time, before it was too late.

Fudge's voice snapped him out of his musings. "Disciplinary hearing of the twelve of August into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey." as the Minister's voice droned on, Harry couldn't help but wonder if Fudge was even aware of the meaning of the words he spoke or if he was just reading from some script.

"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Harry's eyes met the ones of the square-jawed witch and he briefly detected a hint of sympathy and disgust in them. He puzzled over the emotions for a moment before the next name harshly snapped him back to reality. "Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior undersecretary to the Minister…"

Harry's teeth clenched as he balled his currently unscarred hand into a fist. His eyes narrowed a little as he took in the toad like, girly appearance of his most hated Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

She sat there, next the Minister, with a ow on her head, a smug smile widening her flabby lips. Harry had to restrain himself from growling at the woman, reminding himself that at this moment in tie, he wasn't supposed to know the sadistic toad. It was only when a voice came from behind him, did Harry remember himself and focus back on his hearing.

"Witness for the Defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Harry almost laughed aloud at the horrified and aghast expression that plaster itself over Fudge's face. He could have swore he saw the man flinch a little. Madam Bones looked slightly relieved and Umbridge looked like she had just chocked on a fly.

Dumbledore conjoured a comfier looking chair and sat besides Harry. He winked at the teen before he templed his fingers and smiling serenely at the Minister, who could only gape at him.

"Ah. You-er- got out -er- message…" He stuttered. Harry marveled at his inability to string a few words together. How people had voted him into office, Harry did not know; the man was an absolute tool.

"No, I must have missed it. Fortunately I arrived at the Ministry three hours early." If Fudge had any common sense or brains, Harry was sure that his eyes would narrow suspiciously. Luckily, the balding man in front of him seemed to be trying to compose himself.

"Right. Well… On to the charges." He cleared his throat and spoke even louder, though that did nothing to hide the waver in his voice as he read aloud Harry's charges. Then the questioning began.

"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" He asked as he avoided Harry's eyes.

"Yes." Harry said. The slight undertone in his voice suggested that he thought that was obvious.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"

"Yes, but-"

"And you conjoured a Patronous on the night of the second of August?"

"Yes, but-"

This pattern of questioning carried on for a few minutes; Fudge would ask a question and barely allow time for Harry to answer them. Despite the fact that Harry knew this would happen, he felt his blood boil with anger towards the sniveling man. It wasn't until Fudge's seventh question that the pattern was broken.

"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?" The Minister sneered down at him, and it was then that Dumbledore interrupted the questioning- just as they had planned.

"Excuse me Minister, but I would just like to point out that while Harry performed the charm in front of a Muggle, said boy was fully aware of magic and has been since Mr Potter received is Hogwarts letter at the age of 11." The words were spoken calmly, but the effect was explosive.

A great murmuring broke out across the room, indicating that the members of the Court were not aware of this fact. Umbridge's eyes bulged comically as she sat ramrod straight in her chair; Percy's quill hesitated in his hand as he looked quizzically up at the Minister, who had turned an unflattering shade of white. Madam Bones was also looking at her boss, but with her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Is this true, Mr Potter?" She boomed at him.

"Yes. Dudley was the Muggle with me and I have lived with him and my aunt and Uncle since I was a year old." He answered in the same calm tone that Dumbledore had used. Percy was quickly scribbling every word down as Madam Bones' eyebrows raised.

"So, he is aware of Magic?"

"Yes ma'am. He has been aware of magic since we were 11, but he has witnessed several bouts of my accidental magic, and he was there when I received a warning about the Hover Charm three years ago, and when the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad arrived at my house to deflate my Aunt, two years ago." He promptly answered. He snuck a glance at Fudge who seemed to have sank a little in his seat as he gazed, shocked, at Harry and Dumbledore.

"And were your Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Obliviated at any of these instances?" She asked sharply. Although she was speaking to Harry, she was glaring icily at Fudge.

"Not that I am aware of, no."

Harry almost smiled with joy as he saw Madam Bones jump to her feet. The rest of the Court gasped and Umbridge looked at Harry with such hate, he was reminded of his detentions with the woman. He had a sudden inkling that if he were to serve detention this time around, then he would be facing more than just a Blood Quill.

Madam Bones' voice shattered to uneasy silence that descended upon the Courtroom as she ended the hearing. "I find Mr Harry James Potter cleared of the charges of his offense of Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlock's Statute of Secrecy. His charges of his offense under Paragraph C of the Degree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, will be suspended until it has been investigated fully by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Nothing more was said as the formidable witch glared once more at the Minister before walking out of the Courtroom. The rest of the Wizengamot followed in a stunned silence, a few of them staring curiously between the Minister and Harry. A few gave him smiles of encouragement that surprised him more than he could articulate.

"Good day, Harry." Dumbledore bade him farewell with a smile, before he too exited the room. Harry only hesitated a moment, before following after his Headmaster, a smile etched on his lips.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry met Arthur outside the courtroom, laughing as the man gaped after the Wizengamot members who were further up the corridor. The man turned his amazed look on the teenager at the laugh and his mouth moved as though he were about to speak.

"I did tell you." Harry pointed out, his eyes twinkling in a familiar fashion. Arthur finally closed his mouth and shook his head wearily.

"I know, I just didn't think you were serious…." His voice trailed off as he looked over the younger man's shoulder. Harry frowned a little in confusion that soon cleared as he looked behind him and came face to face with Percy Weasley.

The third Weasley son spared his father and Harry a quick glance before he retreated down the corridor. Harry turned back to Mr Weasley and saw that he wore an ugly look that usually didn't grace his face. But as he stared a few moments longer, Harry saw the deep sadness that shone through the Patriarch's eyes. A quick glance back at the corridor, and Harry had made his decision.

"Wait here, a moment." He told the older man as he began to walk away.

"What? Harry…What are you doing? We need to leave now!" He protested. Harry didn't even turn around as he answered the man.

"It won't take long; I'll be back before soon. Just wait here for me." and with that, he turned the corner just before Percy turned around another.

"Percy!" He called out as he broke into a jog in order to catch up with him. Percy turned around, curious, but that look quickly faded into a sneer when he saw who was shouting his name.

"Potter. What do you want? I am a very busy man." He complained as he glared through his horn rimmed glasses. Harry wondered if the other man thought he was actually being intimidating.

"I just wanted a quick word with you." He answered. Percy grimaced at him.

"What about? I don't need to hear any of your lies, Potter. So why don't you just leave me alone." He hissed before turning around. He didn't get far, however, as Harry had grabbed his elbow and tugged him back.

"I know you miss them." He simply said.

Percy stiffened at those words. He remained still for a few moments before suddenly whirling around and glaring at the younger man with a glare so ferocious that Harry actually anted to take a step back.

"Don't you dare tell me what I already know!" He snarled fiercely at Harry, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Of course I miss them! They're my family! But they don't believe in me! They don't support me! They chose you and Dumbledore instead of me!"

Percy was breathing heavily as he finished and Harry just looked at him, stunned. For a moment, he couldn't say anything to the red haired man stood in front of him. But when he did finally say something, his voice was filled with an incredulous tone and a hint of reproachfulness.

"Of course they didn't chose us over you! They chose to believe the truth because they know exactly what Fudge is like!"

Percy snorted humorlessly. "Sure. That's why they didn't support me when I got promoted! That's why they told me to stop being stupid!"

"You know your parents! Would they say that for no reason?" Harry harshly bit back. He couldn't believe the blindness of Percy Weasley. Said man was about to interrupt before he cut him off. "The have always believed in you! Always supported you with your ambitions! Think about it! You are fresh out of Hogwarts with no real experience! Your last boss ended up being attacked and murdered under your very nose! Normally, a person would not be promoting into the highest office of the Ministry after that! If you truly believe that**, **then your ego is even bigger than I thought."

Percy turned bright red in anger as he visibly shook with rage. "You dare-"

"Of course I dare!" Harry yelled over him. "I dare because I see what your stupidity is doing to them! Your mother cries every time your name is mentioned; you dad seems angry, but everyone can tell he feels sad and betrayed; and your siblings hate you for what you're doing to them. They hate you, Percy." He ended in a softer tone. Percy's anger seemed to have evaporated as he listened to Harry explain his family's reaction. A part of him felt a vindictive pleasure that they were in pain, but a larger part ached for them; it was that part that kept him silent, that wished even more that he could go back to his family. That larger part was more rational and was starting to take in what the younger man was saying to him. Harry sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair.

"Listen, I didn't come after you to yell at you and insult you." He looked up at Percy, who was watching him with a little sadness. "I came to remind you of one thing."

Percy swallowed. "What?" he whispered quietly. Harry looked unblinkingly in his eyes as if to emphasise the seriousness of his words.

"You work at the Ministry, where people come and go easily. People are fired every day, for silly reasons. One moment they are the best at what they do, and then, nothing. They get fired and are told to move one." Harry's voice was now no higher than a low murmur. "Your job is not guaranteed safe. You may be fired tomorrow. Your job will not always be here, but your family will; they will always be there for you. All I ask is that you listen to what I have said, take it in and think about it. Hopefully it can convince you to come back to your family before its too late." He looked at the man for a minute more, before he turned around and began to walk away.

"Harry." Percy's voice stopped him. He did not turn around, but looked back a little to indicate that he was listening. "They would never take me back," He whispered brokenly. "Not after what I've done to them."

This time, Harry half turned and spoke in a calming and reassuring voice. "If you decide that you wish to come back to your family, owl me. I'll help you, I promise."

And with that, he turned and walked around the corner towards Arthur, leaving Percy to stare indecipherably at his back.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Listening To: How Soon Is Now?- T.A.T.u

**A/N 2: Well, how was it? Worth the wait? So appalling that you never want to read this again? Let me know :D**

**This chapter is over 13,000 words and took up 24 pages in word. That's a lot haha :D**

**Again, thank you so much to every person who has reviewed or added this story. It's really amazing to see people enjoying my work!**

**All recognised text is from '**_**Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix'**_**, Chapter Eight.**

**Now, it has taken me about a week to finish this chapter, and that is without a beta.**

**I plan on making my chapters longer as many of you said your prefer that, but if you want chapters as long as this one, then you will have to wait a week or maybe even two between updates. I promise that I won't abandon this story, and if I have to take a short hiatus, then it would only be due to a personal crisis or when I need o revise for my exams. I'm about to enter my last year in Sixth Form and so any exams I take from now on will decide which Universities I can get into. It's a little stressful!**

**I will always tell you when I won't be updating for a bit, and I will always come back after a few weeks. I will not abandon this story!**

**Happy reading!**

**LilMissMoonRay.**


	5. A Nudge In The Right Direction

**A/N: Here you go my darlings! A new chapter out! It is slightly later than I wanted it to be, but stuff came up like extra work shifts and family crisis'. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story, it really means a lot to me :D and of course to all those who have added me to their favourite lists, you all rock!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Harry Potter franchise. While I may have once been blonde and I am British, I am not J.K. Rowling no matter how much I wish I was. I only own some very battered copies of the books about our favourite wizard :D**

**Also, a big, massive thank you to my wonderful new beta SeekerofAncientLegend! She is amazing, brilliant, fantastic and so many other things! She helps me keep my ideas on track and points out things I need to think about, as well as correcting all of the mistakes I make in my work! She's the one to thank for the lack of misspelled words and grammatical errors, but if course it you do see any, then they are all my fault haha! :D**

**Slight Warning: A little bit of in detail description of a nightmare. Contains a little blood and over use of words like 'dead'.**

**Listening to: Bubble Pop Electric- Gwen Stefani.**

A Nudge In The Right Direction

The trip back to Headquarters was filled with contemplation for Harry. His mind easily processed the fact that he was cleared of most of his charges and he had acknowledged that the Dementor issue was going to be investigated, but what he couldn't wrap his head around was the talk he had had with the estranged Weasley.

He didn't know what on earth had possessed him to run after the red headed man like that, and before he could even think about it, he was shouting out his name. Harry and Ginny had talked a little about Percy, but they hadn't decided on a concrete plan of action. As far as she was concerned, Percy had to get over his own pigheadedness and come back on his own- an attitude that seemed to be common with the entire Weasley family.

But Harry couldn't just ignore it. He had seen what the damage had done to Percy; had seen how guilty and devastated he had felt after Fred died. What didn't help matters was that something Percy had once said to Harry was stuck in his head, like a splinter stuck under the skin of his brain.

'_Everyone has something to regret in their lives, Harry, something to drive them mad with 'what ifs'. Mine is that I didn't come back sooner, that I let my own pride stand in the way of my returning home. I could have reunited with them all a lot sooner, if I had just pushed that aside. But I was too late; now Fred's gone and I can't ever repair that relationship properly. I can't ever reconnect with my brother._'

The talk the two men had had with each other was one of the few times Harry had seen Percy without his usual pompous attitude and instead with a vulnerable demeanor. It had been odd to see. Percy had been the one to snap Harry out of his 'post-war funk' (as Ron had called it), and now the teen felt like he owed the third Weasley. That was what had motivated him to speak up.

Sighing softly and running his hands through his hair, Harry stepped into one of the fireplaces that lined the atrium and whispered the Order's address.

After spinning dizzily for a few moments, Harry arrived back at Grimmauld Place to find the occupants crowded in the hallway and not in the kitchen like he had expected them to be. After to listening to a few moments of shuffling, he went to investigate.

"Erm… Hello everyone." He greeted as he slowly shut the kitchen door behind him. His brow was furrowed in confusion as he took in the faces that stared at him in anticipation. Ginny was the only one who moved.

"Hi Harry." She greeted with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. He kissed the top of her head, revelling in the warm feeling that settled in his stomach, and smiled before looking back up.

"Well?" Hermione demanded as she stood with her hands clasped together. "How did it go? Did the plan work? It must have done, I mean they can't have expelled you just because you were defending yourself! And your cousin knew magic existed, so they have to take that in to account because-"

"Hermione," Harry cut across her with a grin. "Breath." The bushy haired girl did indeed take in a deep breath before she opened her mouth to talk again. She didn't have a chance to make a noise however, as Harry's voice sounded out again. "Why don't we all go and sit down in the living room, and I'll tell you all about it as soon as Dumbledore arrives."

A few moments of scuffling later and everyone was sat down comfortably and expectantly.

"So, why were you all in the kitchen anyway? When I flooed in I expected you all to be waiting in the kitchen." Harry questioned as he looked around. Fred and George were sat on the floor in front of the once-elegant fireplace, while Hermione and Ron (who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else) took up one sofa. Mrs Weasley and Sirius occupied the two armchairs and Ginny was sat against the side of the settee, with her legs draped across Harry's lap. Mr Weasley, Kingsley, Tonks and Moody were at work.

"We thought that Dumbledore would have brought you back, so we expected you to come through the front door." Moll answered with a sheepish look on her face. Harry smiled at her and shook his head.

"He had to go and take care of some business in the ministry. Besides, it would look odd if he escorted me back home. As far as every is concerned, our relationship is merely a teacher-student one." He explained. Dumbledore had told him all of this as they had planned how to tackle the hearing, but he had also mentioned that he would return to headquarters soon after. Everyone accepted the explanation and they all chatted idly as hey waited for the Headmaster. Harry didn't mention his talk with Percy once.

"Good Morning." Dumbledore greeted as he swept into the room, his purple cloak billowing out behind him. Greetings rang out and with a flick of his wand, Dumbledore conjured a squishy armchair for himself.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked before Hermione could. Harry was almost sure that she shot the ex-convict a glare, but she was quickly leaning forwards in anticipation so Harry couldn't be sure.

"As well as could be expected." Dumbledore answered calmly. "Harry was found innocent of all charges of breaching the Statute of Secrecy and his other charges of the violation of the Decree of Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery are undecided until the incident has been investigated fully by Madam Bones and her Aurors."

"What does that mean?" Fred asked as he and George cocked their heads to the side. Everyone else looked from the Headmaster to the young time-traveler.

"It means that Madam Bones is furious." Harry answered. "Fudge really messed up this 'trial' by overlooking things that should have been brought to her notice. I think she figured that if he was withholding information like the fact that Dudley knew of magic and hasn't previously been Obliviated, then he could have been lying about other things."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Amelia Bones stands for many things, one of them being the truth. She despises being lied to and believes very highly in justice."

"Well she can't believe in it very much if I'm still thought of as a murderer." Sirius complained bitterly. Harry sent his Godfather a concerned look; he wished hard that he could get Sirius cleared of all charges and, hopefully, if all went well, it would be done sooner rather than later.

"Amelia was not aware that you were sentenced without a trial, Sirius. And don't forget that she was fed those lies as well as everyone else. When you hear such stories, it's hard not to believe that they are the truth and you were tried as a proper criminal." Dumbledore explained gently as he looked at the black haired man with sympathy. Sirius snorted in disbelief and turned to face the wall. It was quiet for a moment as people exchanged weary glances.

"What I don't get," Ginny began as she tilted her head in contemplation. Harry looked closely at her face as he absentmindedly rubbed his hand along her leg. "Is why she ignored your charges of underage wizardry? I mean, that's a big deal and it sounds as if she just dismissed it, really." She gave Harry an apologetic smile- she didn't want him to be charged, but it was an important point- and he smiled back in understanding.

"An excellent point, Mrs Potter." Dumbledore nodded at her. The use of her married name cause her and Harry to blush, Ron to scowl and Mrs Weasley to smile fondly. "I had a quick word with Amelia beforehand," Harry shot him a surprised look, which he ignored. "And she told me how she thought this whole trial was a farce and a way of Fudge showing off his power, so to speak. She told me that she knew exactly how Fudge was going to act, and if she were the one trialing Harry, she would want to hear his side first before making any assumptions." He looked over the rims of his glasses at Harry; a look that caused a jolt to run through the teen- he had not seen that look in a long time. "It may have also helped that I hinted at what a trustworthy and honest person you were." He winked at the boy as he rolled his eyes.

"So, she wanted to know both sides of things before she passed a verdict?" Hermione asked. She did not look confused, instead she had a contemplative look on her face as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Precisely, Miss Granger." Dumbledore concluded before he stood up. "Now, I must bid you all farewell as I have other matters I must attend to." He nodded at them all before leaving the room. Everyone was quiet until they heard the front door click shut.

Ron was the first one to move. He didn't even look at Harry and Ginny as he stalked out of the room. Hermione sent Harry and Ginny an apologetic look before she walked out after him. The twins just rolled their eyes at their younger brother's behaviour.

"Don't worry, Lovebirds." George said cheerily. "He'll come around eventually."

"He best had do." Ginny growled. Harry squeezed her leg comfortingly. She turned to look into his eyes and they shared a look that communicated one word: _Soon_.

"Yeah. His poor brain just has to have a little time to adjust. After all, it does work slower than the rest of ours does." Fred added with a superior nod.

"Fred! George!" Molly reprimanded with a glare. While she had agreed with her son on the sleeping issue, she did not agree with his blatant disregard of his younger sister and best friend. The twins just looked innocently at her.

"Well, I best check on Buckbeak." Sirius announced as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head. His shoulder joints gave a loud pop that caused Mrs Weasley to look disapprovingly at him. He sent the young couple a smile and left to go upstairs.

"I need to go and sort out one of the spare bedrooms." Molly said. "Charlie's coming tomorrow and he'll need somewhere to sleep."

"Charlie?" The twins questioned. Molly nodded.

"Yes. I owled him and asked him to come home. Don't worry, dears," she added as she saw the apprehensive look on Harry's face. "I haven't told him anything important, just that I have something to discuss with him about the family."

And with that, she left the room, leaving Harry, Ginny and the twins to chat about the plans for the shop, Quidditch and whatever else came up.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

_He was racing down the identical back stone corridors as his heart pounded in his chest. His pants of breath were the only noises that rang out in the small space as he turned yet another corner. His eyes landed on the only door at the end of the corridor; the door he recognised to lead to the Department of Mysteries._

'_STOP!' his mind screamed at him, but his feet ignored him as they pounded against the floor, leading him closer and closer to the door. It opened before he even touched it and he found himself in a circular room that he knew only too well. Another door opened for him and he ran through automatically, despite the panic that had started to flood his brain. He had half expected to see the Room of Prophecies, but the room he found himself in was much, much worse than that._

_His feet slowed down as he reached the edge of the stairs. His mind fought harder as he slowly and calmly walked down the steep steps- each step composed and calculated, as if he had a purpose, as if he was supposed to walk here at this very moment in time._

_He felt his eyes widen as he looked at the archway that stood on the raised dais, it's black, ragged curtain ruffling in an unknown breeze. The closer he got to it, the louder the whispering voices got; many voices all trying to talk at once, until they became an incoherent babble that he couldn't make sense of. _

_Finally his feet stopped as he stood five feet away from the curtain. The voices grew more urgent, as did his protesting mind that warned him that he shouldn't be here, that he should get away as fast as possible. He knew what was going to happen, and he dreaded it with every fibre of his being. He knew who those voices belonged to and he hoped in vain that they wouldn't seek him out._

_Despite what he knew, he was still surprised to see the Sirius Black step out from behind the curtain. _

_He looked exactly the same as he had the night he died- the same robes, the same long hair, everything was the same. Except for the eyes. _

_The blank, empty eyes that focused on him, that sucked him in until he could see the deep hatred and betrayal that was hidden underneath, the emotions that the eyes could not unveil._

"_It's all your fault, Harry." he whispered in a voice that was as dead as his grey eyes. "It wasn't my time to die, but I did because of you. If you weren't stupid enough to believe that vision, I would still be alive. If you weren't stupid enough to walk right into his trap, I wouldn't have had to come after you. I died and it's all because of you."_

_Harry's legs trembled, but they didn't move as he desperately wished they would. He stared at the face of his godfather as his mouth let out a slew of protests._

"_No.. Didn't mean.. Tried to save you.. Please, understand…" But nothing he said made a difference. Sirius still stared at him, unblinking, as he mouthed his accusations. Harry couldn't tear his eyes away as he wondered why his godfather wasn't making any noise. His question was soon answered as the next person walked through the veil._

_The person was stood in a black outfit with stripes of yellow on the t-shirt, a badger engraved on his chest. Parts of the clothing were ripped and a few patches of blood darkened the fabric. The dark eyes stared as blank and dead at Harry as they did the night he died._

"_Cedric?" Harry whispered, horrified. The Hufflepuff began to speak to him in a dead voice identical to Sirius'. Beside him, Sirius kept on mouthing his judgmental comments over and over again._

"_I died because of you. You told me to take the cup, and I did. But I died, Harry. Died because I listened to you. It's all your fault. You told me to take it."_

"_No… Please…" Harry's voice cracked as tears began to pour down his face. "I didn't know where it was taking us… I brought you back.. I'm sorry… so sorry…" But Cedric wasn't listening; like Sirius, his voice too disappeared as his mouth continued to form words. Behind him, the veil rippled again._

_The figure that emerged was smaller than the others and was dressed in a tea towel, a pair of mismatched socks on his feet and a bobble hat on his head. A silver knife protruded from his chest and dark red blood soaked the grey material. The large tennis ball eyes became another tunnel filled with hatred and disgust for Harry._

"_Harry Potter is a bad wizard. Harry Potter said the Dark Lord's name. Dobby always helped Harry Potter, but Harry Potter sent Dobby to his death. Harry Potter let Dobby die for him. Harry Potter is not a great wizard; Harry Potter is a bad wizard."_

_The strength left Harry's legs and he sank to the floor. He couldn't look away from the eyes, couldn't close his own and escape the words that cut into his heart. He didn't want to see any more. _

"_Wasn't my fault… Stop… Leave me alone… I tried…" Harry sobbed as yet another person emerged. _

_Harry thought he was going to be sick as he looked into the unresponsive eyes of Fred Weasley._

"_We took you in. Gave you a home. Treated you like a brother. I fought for you. I died for you. If I didn't know you, if you didn't become friends with Ron, I would still be alive. I would still be with George. You killed me, Harry; caused me to die. You ruined Geoge's life and destroyed mine."_

_He couldn't take it anymore. He clamped his hands over his ears and screamed and sobbed his apologies. It wasn't his fault He tried to help them, tried to save them all!_

_More people joined the other four, one after another. Some looked fine, but some were covered in blood and scratches. They all had the same vacant gazes that showed no emotion unless he stared at them. They all spoke in monotonous tones, blaming him, hating him._

_Sirius, Cedric, Fred, Dobby, Remus, Tonks, Bertha Jorkins, Collin, Severus Snape, Amelia Bones, Emmeline Vance, Mad Eye, Dumbledore and all of those who died in Battle._

"_You gave him your blood…"_

"_I looked out for you… Taught you… and you lead me to my death…"_

"_You didn't give yourself up…"_

"_Let us fight… Were too cowardly to hand yourself over…"_

"_It's all your fault…"_

"_I protected you all your life…."_

"_You were my idol… I died for you…"_

"_STOP! PLEASE! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! PLEASE… BELIEVE ME….. I'M SORRY…"_

"_I died for my baby boy. I could have lived. He gave me a choice, but I had to protect you. He killed me because of you." Lilly Potter's lifeless voice joined the others as she joined them, her fire like hair falling limply around her face._

"_Your mother died for you, just as I did. Then you let him take your blood, take your mother's protection. You helped him come back to life and helped him kill all these people." His father continued. He couldn't bear to look at him, at any of them, but his eyes wouldn't shut, wouldn't look away._

_They all started to crowd around him now as he cowered away. Their eyes stared at him lifelessly as their mouths created words that faded in and out of existence._

_Suddenly, a new voice pierced through the monotone of accusations. This new voice was full of emotion, of disappointment and sadness. _

_Harry quickly swiveled around to find the source of the new voice and his heart almost stopped as he saw Ginny standing a few feet away from him with a bundle in her arms. He cringed away from the look on her face, which matched her tone of voice exactly, but his eyes still wouldn't allow him to look away._

"_We're back in a world with _him _Harry. You can't protect me. You can't protect our baby. We will die because of you, just like everyone else did. You won't be able to protect us." Tears filled her eyes as she said these words. The bundle in her arms let out a high pitched wail, and she automatically began to rock it in her arms, her eyes still trained on Harry. Her arms fit so perfectly around the baby- _his baby_- that his heart ached as he knew that she was right. He couldn't help her. She would die and so would the child._

"_Ginny… I will protect you… I promise.. Please, help me… I won't let you die… Not you… not the baby… Please…" He begged her in broken sobs. She just shook her head sadly, her mouth saying words that he couldn't hear as the dead bodies of all those who died closed in more closely, blocking his view of her…_

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ginny wandered sleepily downstairs to get a glass of water. She was struggling to sleep again as nausea filled her stomach. She sighed as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and ran the tap. She hadn't been sleeping very well since they had somehow traveled back in time and she knew it was because she didn't sleep I the same bed as Harry.

Over the years, she had grown used to sharing a bed with her boyfriend, and then husband. She loved waking up in the morning to feeling his arms wrapped around her and felt comforted when she woke from a strange dream or nightmare. He always seemed to know when she needed him, and when the night tremors and terrors got bad, he would always wake up and hold her until she felt safe again.

She leant against the counter and took a sip of her drink. Ginny wondered how Harry was getting on in a separate bed. He had nightmares more often and more violently than she did and she didn't want to be away from hi when it happened. She had always been there to wake him up when he couldn't himself, and the deep bags under his eyes indicated to her that he wasn't sleeping well.

She closed her eyes as the image of Harry flinching at her parting words the first night they were here flooded her mind. '_Hope you sleep well, dear_'. Those words were spat at him, and as soon as she had calmed down, Ginny regretted saying them. The comment was uncalled for and she practically threw his nightmares in his face.

She grimaced and was about to take another sip of her drink when a scream ripped through the silence.

The glass slipped from her fingers and smashed as it hit the hard stone floor of the kitchen, but Ginny didn't care as she sprinted out of the room. Her heart was in her chest as she raced up the stairs, as the scream carried on relentlessly. She knew that scream, it was Harry's.

By the time she reached the bedroom he shared with Ron, the rest of the people staying in the house had crowded in the doorway. Mrs Weasley, Sirius and Hermione were standing frozen in the room as Ron tried unsuccessfully to wake Harry up.

"Move!" She growled as she pushed people out of the way and shoved her way through the door. Nobody spared her a glance as they all stared transfixed at Harry whose scream still blared through the air. Ginny's breath caught in her chest as she saw what was happening.

Harry was thrashing around on his back, with his hands covering his ears like a child who didn't want to listen to what someone said, while his legs kicked the mattress and his back arched a little off the bed. His eyes were wide and staring blankly at the roof of the room as his mouth hung open and his shriek ripped out of his throat, occasionally being broken with an awful sob. Sweat and tears mingled on his face and his entire frame was shaking.

"STOP! PLEASE! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! PLEASE… BELIEVE ME….. I'M SORRY…" He yelled as she unfroze and climbed onto the bed with him.

"Ginny-" Her mother began to protest, but she quickly shut her mouth when Ginny sent a fierce glare in her direction. Molly sent a quick look at Arthur as though to plead with him to reason with their daughter, but he merely shook his head at her and then turned to watch the young couple closely.

Hermione had started crying as her hands covered her mouth in horrification. Ron, who had abandoned his effort to wake Harry as soon as Ginny entered the room, went to stand besides her and cautiously put his hand on her shoulder. Hermione turned toward him and flung herself in his arms before beginning to sob shakily onto his shoulder. He warily and uncomfortably wrapped his arms around her.

Sirius didn't know what to do. He just stood there, lost, as he watched Ginny move towards the bed. Harry had suddenly taken his arms away from his head and was now frantically clawing at his arms and face, leaving grooves where he had ripped the skin off. Sirius just looked on as he saw blood beginning to seep from the scrapes in his godson's skin, helpless.

After glaring at her mother, Ginny looked down and saw that Harry had started to hurt himself. It was rare for him to do that and it could only mean that this nightmare was worse than usual. She grabbed onto his scratching hands and held them tightly as she trapped them between her right arm and chest. Her other hand came up to stroke his cheek gently as she leaned down close to his face.

"Shush, Harry. It's okay, it's not real. Come back Harry, Come back to me." She gently crooned into his ear, her hand still stroking his cheek. His screaming words continued as he sharply tried to flail his arms, causing Ginny to hold them tighter against her as though to tether him to real life.

"Ginny… I will protect you… I promise.. Please, help me… I won't let you die… Not you… not the baby… Please…" He cried out in a breathless whine that caused Ginny's heart to twist painfully. She blocked out the renewed crying behind her and Remus' question of getting Dumbledore; she just focused on trying to wake Harry up.

"I'm fine, Harry. So is the baby. Everyone's okay. Please wake up. Come back to me Harry." She pleaded as she interluded her gentle stroking with a few sharp taps to his cheek. "Come one, Harry. Wake up. Wake up for me, love."

Harry's screams had stopped but now he was bawling loudly. His eyes were still wide open and he was still shaking, though his thrashing was practically nonexistent.

"Wake up Harry." Ginny said once again as she punctuated her words with a last sharp tap on the side of Harry's face. The Boy-Who-Lived chocked on his sobs as he jerked away from the contact. He began to drag in sharp gasps like he had just been saved from drowning in his chilling thoughts. His eyes blinked sluggishly as his mind gripped onto the reality that surrounded him and not the bleak images he had just been immersed in.

He sat up quickly, causing Ginny to move out of the way a little before he knocked his head into hers. Several of the people crowding the room gasped as Harry's eyes roamed the room until they landed on Ginny's face. With a small cry of relief, he flung himself at her, his arms wrapping around her stomach as he pressed his face into her chest and gathered in sharp, breathless gasps. Ginny wrapped her arm around his shoulder and cradled his head, running her hand through his hair like a mother comforting her child.

"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay." She whispered to him as she placed a kiss on his head.

"They were blaming me… telling me it was all my fault.. And you were there… telling me I c-couldn't… couldn't protect you." He panted out. Ginny merely nodded her head and whispered more assurances in his ear.

Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron and Hermione watched as they couple wrapped themselves around each other, ignoring them all as if they weren't in the room.

"Come on, let's go back to bed." Arthur quietly, but firmly, said as he began to tug his wife out of the door.

"But…" She protested weakly as she looked back at the teens on the bed.

"No, Molly." Arthur gently said. "We'll talk about this later. Ginny's got everything under control." Molly glanced at the pair again before sighing in resignation and following her husband out of the bedroom. Hermione followed, and so did Ron. He decided he would sleep somewhere else tonight- if he was actually capable of sleeping after all of this.

"Come on, Sirius." Remus murmured to his almost catatonic friend. "Bedtime." And with that Remus and Tonks dragged him out of the room also, leaving the two time travelers on peace.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry. None of it." Ginny whispered as she began to rock him back and forth a little.

"But they were telling me that. All of them. They were staring at me with their eyes… oh, god, Gin, their eyes…" Harry moaned out.

"It's not real. They don't blame you for anything." She answered. Harry nodded in absent agreement.

"Then you were there," He continued. "And you were telling me that you were going to die as well because I couldn't protect you. You were looking at me so sadly, with James in your arms…"

"James?" Ginny asked, a hopeful tone in her gentle voice. "See. I told you it was a boy! I told- oh!"

"What? What's wrong?" Harry almost shouted in his panic that was caused by Ginny's sudden exclamation. He looked up at the red head and saw the shocked and slightly awed look on her face. "Ginny?"

Ginny snapped out of her shock at Harry's frantic tone. She grinned widely at him as tears gathered in her eyes. "Someone wants to say hello." She whispered as she took her husband's hand and laid it down on her stomach.

Harry looked at her stomach in confusion for a moment before his eyes widened as he realised what had happened.

As his hand lay gently on his wife's stomach, Harry had felt a small, yet firm nudge that seemed to come from the inside.

His breath caught as he felt the movement and looked up at the chocolate brown eyes that were staring lovingly at his hand.

"Was that…" He trailed off as he swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. Ginny nodded, then replied in a soft voice that cracked with emotion.

"Yeah. Little James wanted to say hello to his daddy."

Harry let out a breathless, shocked chuckle. "Hello baby James." He whispered recently as he rubbed his hand over the slightly protruding bump of Ginny's stomach. He looked up as a large grin spread across his face.

Ginny's hair was messy from sleep, her eyes slightly reddened by tears she wouldn't let fall and her face was flushed. But Harry thought she was the most stunning thing in the world as he leant up to give her a passionate kiss. Her sparkling eyes that were filled with laughter and love and the smile that graced her lips was what made her more beautiful than all of the stars that twinkled in the universe.

It was the tender look she was giving him, as well as the blissful feeling of having proof that he had indeed created a new life that made Harry glad that she was here to chase the nightmares away.

**LMMRLMMR**

**A/N 2: Well, this didn't quite go where I wanted it too….. I thought it would work out differently than it did :D I'm happy with it though!**

**It isn't as long as the previous chapter, but it is longer than my first three were. I had more things planned for this chapter, but it just seemed perfect to stop there. Next chapter will be longer, hopefully! **

**Also, from what I remember from my GCSE Child Development class, a foetus begins to move around, kick and stretch inside the womb at about 10 weeks, but the mother cannot feel it. As Ginny is about 14 weeks along at this moment in the story's timeline, I would assume that they will be able to feel the baby kick. Plus, from stories I've heard from members of my family (which is v. large, as my mum is one of 12!), some baby's can be felt kicking at just before 4 months.**

**Oh, and what do you think the perfect song for Harry is? I think Numb by Linkin Park, or maybe even Hero by Skillet. I just think they're well suited for him. What about you?**

**Review?**


	6. The Intentions Of An Old Man

**A/N: HERE IT IS! THE CHAPTER YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! HOW THEY TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME! WOOOOOOO!**

**Before I say anything else, I would just like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to Comet Jim who essentially created this idea up for me! I just tweaked it a little, but he came up with it! Give him some love, people!**

**Cheers for all of your help with this, Comet Jim, and double thanks for letting me use your idea! This chapter is dedicated to you!**

**Now, here is the part where I tell you my excuses of why this chapter is so late.**

**First of all, it was back to school time, where I am in my last year of sixth form. That means that I have been writing my personal statement, filling out UCAS applications, going on university open days and all that jazz. Then, my school messed up my timetable and put me two of my classes on at the same time, which meant that I was expected to be in two places at once about 5 times a week. This has been sorted, but I am not in the normal lessons as my peers and I have 4 less lessons than the rest of my year. I also had 3 anniversaries of close family members deaths in the space of two weeks, so that brought me down.**

**The biggest reason as to why this is late, however, is that I was the victim of a homophobic attack.**

**Basically, a group of guys stood outside my house late at night and shouted abuse at my window whilst chucking eggs, cakes and trifle at my house. This happened every night for a week, then it stopped. Unfortunately it carried on again not long after.**

**I had no idea who it was, only that they went to school with me. So I have had to go to school every day and attend lessons, not knowing who was harassing me and terrorising me. It's been nothing short of hell- I haven't even felt safe walking my dog.**

**To all those who may agree with the bigots and cannot stand the thought of reading a story written by a gay author:- you might as well press the back button now if you can't stand it. Don't send me a scathing review or PM me giving me a load of abuse or nasty comments or anything like that. I don't have the time, patience or mood to deal with any of that, so if you don't like it, then just pretend this story never existed. If you can look past that and keep on reading, then that's great! In no way will my sexuality be portrayed in my work, nor will it ever be a main focus of this fic. People like me and anybody else who is part of any minority whatsoever have the right to not be harassed and be able feel safe and have the same privileges that everyone else does. Don't like that? Go away and get a life.**

**To all those who have ever been through something like I have, or who are part of any kind of minority around the world:- Don't stand for it. You deserve to be treated better. Whether you are gay, bisexual, religious, from another country or are part of any other minority, that is what makes up a part of you and who you are is beautiful. Never, EVER let anyone bring you down- you are special and great and unique just as you are. Always stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and I promise you that you will always come out better than the bigots who try to drag you down.**

**If anyone wants to talk more about this, or want to ask questions or anything like that, then just PM me. I will always answer!**

**Now, all of that aside (sorry for my mini rant!), enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the Harry Potter universe. Only the plot line is mine, and the time travel explanation belongs to Comet Jim. The only thing I own is a rather fetching pair of turquoise reading glasses ;)**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**The Intentions Of An Old Man.**

Molly was in a state of shock as her husband led her back to their bedroom. She couldn't seem to blink or stop her tears or open her mouth and say something; all she could do was watch the image of Harry thrashing on his bed, hurting himself, play in her mind over and over again while her heart seemed to crack like a brittle china pot.

Arthur had his jaw tensed the whole way back. He pushed his memories of what he had just seen to the back of his mind and decided to instead concentrate on what needed to be done now. Earlier he had decided to talk to Molly about his daughter and her husband's sleeping arrangements. However, a big mess in the ministry had caused him to be home late and he never had the chance to. He knew that now was the time for such a talk- maybe what Molly had seen happen tonight would be enough to convince her to change her mind.

Eventually they reached their bedroom and the sharp click of the door closing finally snapped Molly out of her depressing reverie.

"Oh Arthur!" She sobbed louder as she threw herself into his arms. She continued to babble nonsense as Arthur gently rocked her and whispered soothing sounds in her ear. When he felt her cries lessen and quieten down, he led her to sit on the bed, leaning away from her and angling his body so he could still look into her face. Molly began to hiccup a little as she looked into her husband's blue eyes and realised that his next words were going to be important- or something she wasn't going to like one bit.

"Molly, from now on Harry and Ginny are going to be sleeping in the same room." The tone the Weasley patriarch used clearly showed that that was what was happening, no matter what his wife had to say.

Molly sat there, staring at him for a moment as she tried to process what he had just said. It was only a few moments later that she opened her mouth and began to argue back, just as Arthur had expected she would.

"But Arthur, they can't! They're-" Mr Weasley wouldn't even let her finish.

"No, Molly. That is what is happening, whether you like it or not!" He raised his voice a little over hers as she began to try and interrupt him again. "Do you not see what has happened tonight? What has happened since they got here? Molly, Harry hasn't slept a full night since he got here! I hear him sometimes at night, creeping downstairs. And he is always the first one awake, with large black circles under his eyes."

"I've noticed." Molly admitted in a small voice. Her eyes dimmed like a blown light bulb as a few tendrils of guilt twisted in her stomach.

"I know you have. Molly, something happens in the future, something that Harry and Ginny have had to live through. Something so bad that it still haunts him and causes him to subconsciously hurt himself in order to escape it." Mrs Weasley shivered as she remembered Harry's attack on himself, remembered his nails raking into his own skin- it turned her stomach. Arthur, upon seeing his wife's distraught demeanor, softened his voice as he continued. "He needs her, Mollywobbles. He needs her to chase those images away. You saw how she calmed him down tonight. And I'm willing to bet that he gives her the same amount of comfort as well."

"But they're so young…" She argued back in a weak voice. She couldn't even look her husband in the eye anymore; instead she focused her sorrowful gaze on her twisting hands that lay in her pajama covered lap. He smiled gently at her and tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"They may be physically young, but as far as Ginny is concerned she's a married adult with a kid on the way. They're both going through a difficult time- Ginny more so than Harry- and they need the comfort that only they can give one another."

Chocolate eyes brimming with sadness gazed into those of an ocean blue that were filled with persuasion, compassion and understanding. Eventually the scarlet haired woman nodded and folded into her husbands arms.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Hermione Granger couldn't keep still, so instead she paced up and down the small space that was available in her bedroom. Normally this would have annoyed the hell out of one Ronald Weasley, but after what had happened tonight he was perfectly happy to let her pace while he held his head in his hands and stared dejectedly at the threadbare carpet. So far they had stayed silent as they sorted through their own thoughts, but soon enough this was not enough for the bushy haired girl.

"Something happened to him, Ron. Something horrible." Her voice was full of determination, almost as though she dared him to contradict her. Ron just sighed and then shifted his head to look up at her.

"I know." He whispered to her. "I know."

"Oh really? You know?" She bit harshly at him. Her eyes narrowed with anger and, although most of him knew he deserved the upcoming lecture and insults, a small part of Ron felt that she shouldn't be having a go at him because she was upset over what had just happened. "How could you possibly know, Ronald? You've hardly spoken to him or Ginny since they arrived! You've just glared and pouted and stormed off and acted like a spoilt child! How could you have any idea, huh?" Her voice steadily rose in pitch the more agitated she became.

Ron flinched slightly at her accusations but couldn't deny them. He knew that he had acted horribly and like a child. He knew he was angering his sister and hurting his best friend; he had seen the flickers of sadness and pain in his best mate's eyes whenever he left the room, and while it had caused him to feel triumphant for a while, now all he felt was a dull feeling in the pit of his stomach that grew bigger each day.

"I know, Hermione." He said quietly as he sighed heavily. "I've screwed up and I've been a pain for the past few weeks. It was just such a big shock. I mean, one day everything was normal, then I find out that my best friend has knocked up my little sister and they're married and from about 8 years in the future!" He threw his hands up in the air before dragged them roughly through his hair. Hermione watched him for a moment before going to sit next to him. Both ignored the butterflies that erupted in their stomachs at the close contact. The sensation increased as Hermione gently rested her hand on his, and a hot flush rose on their faces.

"Ron," she began in a calming tone. "This whole situation is difficult for them both. They have to readjust to somehow traveling back in time, plus Ginny has to cope with pregnancy hormones on top of normal teenage hormones."

She promptly ignored Ron's grumbling of not needing to know about his sister's hormones before she leaned closer to him and dropped her voice to a murmur.

"I think Ginny hoped for her big brother to be there for her, and Harry hoped for the support of his best friend." Ron grimaced as guilt echoed around his heart, but neither said anything more for a few more moments; they were content to just listen to their own thoughts and the warm feeling of the other's body against theirs.

Eventually, Ron broke the silence again. "You know, I always wanted them to get together." Hermione's head snapped up from where it had been resting on his shoulder.

"What?"

Ron snorted. "Yeah. I always pictured them getting together. They just seem to… fit, you know. But Ginny could never say more than a few words to him before she fled the room with a tomato red face." They both chuckled a little as they remembered the times when Ginny would run away whenever Harry so much as said 'hello' to her.

Hermione rested her head on his shoulder again, reveling in the feeling of comfort. "I always thought they would make a good couple as well."

"Uh-huh." Ron nodded before shaking his head ruefully. "But as soon as they do get together, I have to act like a real prat." She squeezed his hand slightly.

"They'll forgive you. I know they will."

"I didn't know you wanted to take after Trelawney, Hermione."

"Prat."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The morning sun rose on the quiet square of Grimmauld Place, bathing the entire street with a rosy tint as the sky slowly turned from a dark indigo, to a light blue with swirls of lavender. A milk float buzzed languidly down a neighboring street and birds whistled a merry tune, creating a peaceful atmosphere in the sleepy road.

Unfortunately, the peace that had been found outside was not present in the Most Ancient House of Black. The majority of the people inside were irritated and groggy from lack of sleep, their eyes gritted together and a bad taste lingering in their mouths.

Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were slumped in various positions around the kitchen table, bloodshot eyes downcast on a cold cup of tea in their hands. None of them had slept all night and a heavy silence had punctuated the air as they lost themselves in their thoughts.

Tonks was simply horrified. She couldn't feel anything else- after all, as she had mentioned to herself before, she hardly knew Harry or Ginny. But the relationship she had made with them was gradually becoming something like siblings, and watching her almost 'younger brother' go through something like that was something she never wanted to see gain. It was horrific to know that he went through so much, had seen so many terrors in his young life that could cause him to act like that. It was enough to break anyone's heart.

Remus just sat with a numbing sadness weighing down in his heart. Lily and James would be turning in their graves if they knew how much their little boy had suffered so far- and how much more he had in the future. The lycanthrope couldn't help the small shiver that went up his spine as he thought about the future. Sure, Harry and Ginny had divulged some information on Voldemort's Horcruxes, but they steadfastly refused to say anything else about the future. Remus wasn't quite sure he wanted to know if Harry's nightmare was any indication of just how bad it could get.

Sirius… well, Sirius wasn't sure what to feel. A part of him felt a deep melancholy towards what he had seen last night, while another side of his brain just wanted to grab hold of his godson and hug him and never let go. However, the animagus mostly felt anger and self-loathing. It was irrational, he knew, but he couldn't help but kick himself for dying when Harry needed him- even if he hadn't done anything yet. He felt so helpless and all he could do was drown in his own depression as he watched the sun rise.

This wasn't allowed to go on forever though, as soon enough a dishelmed and aged Molly Weasley walked through the door, intent on making breakfast.

"Have you been here all night, dears?" She asked them all quietly. It was clear from the hoarse tone of her voice that she had hardly slept a wink. Tonks nodded and Sirius stayed silent.

"Yes. We couldn't sleep after last night." Remus sighed as he ran a hand tiredly over his scarred face. Molly hummed in some sort of agreement and then silence reigned, only disturbed by the quiet clangs of the pots and pans.

"Poor Harry," Molly eventually commented. "Why…. Why did… I just wish…. Wish I could…" She trailed off when it became apparent that she could find no end to her queries.

Sirius looked up at her. "I know. I feel the same."

Molly looked into the grey eyes of Sirius Black and saw the raw pain in them as he thought about last night, saw the torment he felt at not being able to do anything about his godson's suffering. His eyes reflected the same amount of emotion that Molly's did, perhaps even more, and that was what finally convinced her that Sirius loved Harry as though he was his own- that he loved him for being _Harry_, not James. A small shrivel of remorse creeped over her heart and she wished with all she had that she could take back the harsh words she had said and thought about him in the past few weeks. Sirius would do anything for Harry, had done everything he could up till now, and it was only at this moment did Molly realise it.

Molly opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the door opening, revealing her husband, the twins, Ron and Hermione.

Arthur gave her a small peck on the cheek before slowly sitting down and Ron and Hermione gave a quiet greeting. Fred and George had different ideas though.

"Morning All!" Fred crowed.

"Isn't a beautiful day?" George cheerily commented. They both flopped down in their seats, flashing winning grins as everyone stared at them. The twins shared a quick glance.

"What?"

"Do we-"

"Have something-"

"On our faces?"

"Because if we do-"

"We'd appreciate it if you could-"

"Tell us."

Everyone just gawked at them before Ron blunted asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"What's up with you two?"

Fred and George glanced at each other again, a silent conversation hanging in the air that only they could decipher. Slowly, they turned back to the others with their broad grins slipping a little, but still plastered on their faces.

"Whatever do you mean, Ronnie?" Fred asked. Ron scowled at the nickname.

"Why are you being so chirpy? Especially after last night?" He clarified. The occupants were all giving them the same look: raised eyebrow, slightly open mouths, confusion, wariness and disbelief painted across their features. The twin's expressions rapidly changed from cheery to completely serious.

"Last night was awful-"

"Terrible-"

"Frightening-"

"But Harry wouldn't want us to mope about."

"Yeah, it would just make him feel all guilty and angry at himself."

"So me and Fred here decided that we aren't going to mope about-"

"Instead we're going to be our usual happy selves because that's what he'd want us to be." They finished with a unified sanctimonious nod.

"Thanks guys." A voice came from the doorway. They all whirled round to see Harry leaning against the door frame, a gentle smile on his face with Ginny beside him, her hands rubbing her protruding bump. Both of them looked well rested and calm, despite the still prominent black circles under their eyes and the angry red lines that marred Harry's face and arms.

Fred and George flashed them grins as they moved forward to sit down. Harry clasped Sirius' shoulder briefly as he passed and Ginny continued to caress her stomach when she had sat down.

"Morning." Ginny greeted quietly.

Tonks, Remus, Sirius, Ron and Hermione stared at them, wondering where the peaceful smiles that lit up their faces came from. Arthur cast a pointed look with his wife. She nodded in agreement with him- it was clear that sleeping together had done them the world of good and she could no longer deny them that comfort.

"They're right, you know." Harry spoke in the silence. He looked each of them in the eyes as he carried on speaking. "There's no point dwelling on it. It happened and we just need to move on from it."

"But…" Molly began. Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Molly." He gave her a small smile before turning to Sirius. "Really."

His godfather gave him a sad smile but couldn't say anything as there was a sudden knock on the front door causing Mrs Black's portrait to start screaming abuse. Remus and Sirius jumped up to answer it and shut the old bat up, while Mrs Weasley began to dish up her superb breakfast.

There were a few muffled greetings in the hallway before the door to the kitchen opened again to reveal a red haired man with thick muscles and burns marring the skin that was available to the eye.

"Charlie!" Molly beamed in greeting as she rushed forwards and enveloped him into her arms. Arthur too stood up and clasped his son on his shoulder while the Weasley brothers grunted hellos around mouthfuls of food. Hermione rolled her eyes at their behaviour while Harry chuckled and Ginny turned a little green.

"Hey there Harry, Hermione." Charlie said as he sat down and his mother placed a plate full of food in front of him.

"Hello, Charlie." Hermione welcomed. Harry merely nodded at him, a nervous smile plastered on his face as he squeezed Ginny's hand uncomfortably under the table.

"No offence or anything, but you all look like dragon dung." Charlie commented in a nonchalant tone. "What happened?"

As one, everyone's eyes turned to Harry as though asking for his guidance. He barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes (such a thing had happened a lot in the future). Before he could answer though, Charlie caught sight of the scratches on his face.

"What's with the scratches? Get into another fight?" His tone was light and teasing, but the look in his eyes was simply concern. Harry raised an eyebrow at the fight comment as Ron snickered. The best friend's eyes met briefly before Harry turned away. Ron's eyes dropped to his plate miserably.

"No, no fights. Just a nightmare." He answered with a wry, humourless grin. Charlie's fork paused halfway to his mouth as his blue eyes locked on Harry's.

"No shit?" He asked in disbelief.

"Charles! You watch your language!" Molly scolded him.

"Sorry mum." He mumbled before finishing his forkful of food. Ginny swallowed thickly. "Is that what you asked me to come home for? A few bad dreams?" He raised a half singed eyebrow.

This time Harry's eyes dropped to his own plate of breakfast as his nerves got the better of him. His mouth seemed to have fused itself shut and he had no intention of ever opening it again as long as Charlie was in the room. Sirius and Tonks snickered at him as the twins and Ron smirked. Hermione took pity on him and answered the dragon-tamers question herself.

"No, Charlie. I'm just going to say this bluntly." She took a calming breath before looking the older man dead in the eye and continuing in a no nonsense tone that was normally aimed at her two best friends. "Harry and Ginny are from the future. They somehow travelled back eight years in time and now the are stuck here. They took over their younger selves bodies but to them their minds still contain all of their future memories. They are married and Ginny is still pregnant with Harry's child."

Harry's face went white as Charlie's wide popping eyes flashed to his in the amused and apprehensive silence that spread over the room. The only sound was of Ginny's shallow breathing as her stomach twisted.

"Oh God," Ginny groaned after a tense moment as she lurched to her feet and practically flew out of the room. Harry didn't even think about it before he was on his feet and chasing after her. Neither of them registered the fact that Charlie got an eyeful of Ginny's pregnant stomach. His mouth dropped open and the look on his face was so comical that Tonks couldn't help but laugh at her long time friend.

"Close your mouth, Charlie. Who knows what'll crawl in there!" She giggled. Charlie closed his mouth but his eyes remained wide as he turned to his amused parents.

"So it's… it's true? All of it? The time travel and the preg-pregnancy?" He nearly chocked on the last word which caused a few laughs to ring out.

"It is, son." Arthur spoke up. Nothing more was said as they let Charlie try and wrap his mind around the fact that his baby sister was 14, married and pregnant.

"Bloody hell!" He muttered to himself as he rubbed his hands across his face. Molly was too entertained to reprimand him for his swearing.

Harry and Ginny came back a few minutes later, Ginny still looking queasy as Harry rubbed her back soothingly. They sat down, keeping wary gazes on the second oldest Weasley sibling, Harry's hand still ghosting up Ginny's back. Fred and George took it upon themselves to be the first to speak up.

"Now, now Harry dear. You've had Ginny to yourself all night after she unceremoniously kicked us out of your bedroom last night." Fred said as he grinned at the two.

"Yeah, so you please stop trying to get into her knickers? It's putting us off our breakfast." George added, an innocent expression on his face. Ginny and Harry turned an alarming shade of red, Molly and Arthur startled and Sirius spat out his mouthful of tea and began to splutter.

"We mean," One of the twins carried on. "as guys, we would normally be all up for hearing all of the gory details and asking for tips on how to please a woman-"

"But seeing as though that's our baby sister, we ask that you respect our feelings and merely keep the details vague."

Harry and Ginny looked as though they just wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there for the rest of their lives and Molly was equally as mortified. Charlie guffawed as Arthur and the marauders chuckled. Hermione giggled as a blush crept on her face.

"Leave them alone guys." Ron piped up. Although his expression was stern, his eyes glittered with amusement. "What happens between a man and his wife stays in their sordid bed sheets."

The young couple's faces snapped over to his face as everyone else suddenly became quiet. Charlie's gaze flickered between the three in confusion.

"So you're over that now?" Harry asked, his voice kept carefully neutral. Ron looked down and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck sheepishly as he began to mumble his answer.

"Yeah. After last night, I figured I was just being stupid. All I was doing was hurting you both and….. Well, as long as you're happy… that's all that matters, right?" He raised his head to see Hermione looking at him, approval and pride plastered over her radiant smile. The sight let him full of butterflies and oddly breathless. He switched his gaze to his sister and her husband as his ears started to burn as though they were on fire. Harry kept his face blank but Ron could see the slight nod he gave him. The gesture made him smile- at least until his eyes landed on the furious expression on his sister's face.

"'That's all that matters'? It's taken you to now to see that you've been a prat? What, do you need something frightening to happen every time you've been a git to make you get your head out of your arse?" She snarled at him. "You've been nothing but a rude, insufferable prat that has less brains than pig! We should just ignore you and mutter scathing comments just to make you feel like we did! Maybe that's sink through your thick head so you'll know to think next-Oh!" Her rant drifted off into a breathless gasp as a joyful expression spread easily across her face like rain dripping down a window pane. Everyone started forwards, except Harry who quickly switched his hand to Ginny's stomach and gently rubbed it before resting his hand just above her bellybutton. His answering grin lit up his face like a sunrise.

"Oh, mum1 You have to feel this!" Ginny squealed as she bounced slightly in her seat giddily. Bewildered, Molly stepped forward and flinched, startled, as her daughter grabbed her hand and placed it on her stomach. Her brow furrowed as she wondered what was going on before she felt it; a small, but firm nudge that came from within her daughter's bump.

"Oh… oh! Oh, Ginny that's wonderful!" She squeaked as her eyes welled in tears. Seeing his wife sniffle a little as she gazed lovingly at her daughter's stomach made Arthur cotton on to what exactly was going on. He stood and stepped forward as he voiced his suspicion.

"It's kicking, isn't it?"

"What?" The rest of the room gasped before they all leapt to their feet and swarmed like flies around the couple. Excited babbling filled the room as they all tried to feel the movements coming from the centre of the mother-to-be.

Ginny's heart swelled with a blazing amount of love as she looked at the sparkling eyes of her family and friends. This was all that she had never thought she wanted; to be surrounded by loved ones as she basked in the realisation that she was bringing another life into the world. And not just any old bit of life, but a thing so gentle and precious that had been created by her and the one person she loved more than anything else in the world. If anyone were to ask her at that moment, Ginny would have said that such a feeling was the most purest and powerful magic of all.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

It was a few hours later that Albus Dumbledore stepped into number 12 and found its occupants draped across the furniture of the living room. Fred and George were bowing eccentrically as everyone else seemed to be in stitches. Well, almost everyone- Molly looked on disapprovingly as her lips twitched slightly.

"Well, it would appear that you've all had a pleasant evening." Dumbledore said as he stood in the doorway. A benign smile graced his tired face as they all turned to see him.

"Evening, Albus." Sirius greeted with a wary smile. The old Headmaster did not look well at all; his face seemed to be sunken slightly and his eyes were missing their usual twinkle. He seemed to have aged another 50 years and even more weight seemed to be set on his shoulders. "What can we do for you?" Sirius knew this must be some kind of social visit as if there was an attack of some sort then a Patronous message would have been sent.

"I have some news for Mr and Mrs Potter." He smiled at the ex-convict before turning his serious gaze to the young couple who were looking down at him curiously. "I do believe that I have found out why you traveled back to this summer."

His words were like a spark that jump started the young couple's hearts. Harry leapt to his feet and stood stock still as he stared at the old man in disbelief. Ginny remained seated, but reached out to clasp Harry's hand firmly in her own. He could feel the slight tremors that shook her frame and tightened his grip. No body spoke nor seemed to move as they focused their eyes between the headmaster and the Potters.

After a few moments, Dumbledore looked at everyone else. "Could all please give us a few moments. I think this is something they should hear on their own."

After a few murmured encouragements and worried glances, the three found themselves alone in the living room.

Dumbledore stared sadly at the two young adults in front of him. It seemed as though they were almost too scared to breath as their faces were frozen with stress. How he wished he did not have to be the bearer of this news! He knew that the two had secretly hoped that they would be able to find a way back to their own time but with what he had recently uncovered, Dumbledore knew that it was an impossible hope. He had known of the cause of their time travel for days but hadn't shared it with them until now; he hadn't wanted to explain it until he was entirely sure that it was irreversible. Plus he did not wish to see the crushing sadness that would flood in their eyes when their assumptions and dreams would come crashing down.

"Harry, my boy, why don't you sit? It might be best that you do." Dumbledore started quietly as he himself sat down in a now vacant armchair. Harry's expression remained unchanging as he stiffly moved his muscles and sat back down. Ginny immediately leaned into his side and his arm came around her as his other hand rested gently on her stomach. This sight caused another painful pang to sear across his weathered heart before he took a deep breath and moved his gaze to his hands in his lap. Seeing such an uncharacteristic gesture from the headmaster did nothing to elevate their fear and nerves.

"I have spent the last few weeks researching for any possible reason as to how you were thrown back in time with all of your memories and child intact." He began in a quiet and would-be-soothing voice. The effect was slightly ruined by the sadness that belayed his intentions. "As you know, as far as we are aware in this time, and from what you have said of the future, it is only possible to rewind time for a few hours. A full day, at the most."

"The development into time travel hasn't progressed much further in the future." Harry commented. His tone was carefully neutral as he struggled to keep his emotions internal. "That doesn't explain how this happened and you know it. Can you please get to the point?"

"Of course, I apologise for my procrastination." Albus nodded his head in a slight recognition as the young man saw through his delaying tactics. "I shall get to the point then.

"When you appeared from the maze at the end of the third task," He paused as Harry flinched slightly. "I wished to find out what had happened that night with as little distress as possible for you-"

"But you still asked me to recount my version of events." Harry pointed out. Ginny glared slightly at the thought.

"I know, my boy. I am getting to that. Even though I did not wish for you to speak about your ordeal so soon, I knew you would have to regardless, as you would not be able to overcome it if you hid it deep down inside of you. In order to try and put that off for a bit longer, I used legillimancy to look into your mind." His eyes shone with the regret and guilt that dripped from his words. Ginny sat up and turned her blazing glare on Dumbledore as Harry stiffened even more at the thought of someone accessing his thoughts without his permission.

"How dare you-" She began to hiss at the old man, but he held up his hand to quieten her.

"I know that my actions were deplorable, but it was necessary at the time."

"Of course, most of your actions are 'necessary at the time'." She snarled under her breath before falling silent as she continued to glare at him. Harry agreed with what she was saying, but he refrained from commenting as he wished to get an explanation as quickly as possible. Dumbledore nodded to the two before carrying on.

"Your mind was filled with grief and confusion, Harry, and so I could not get a clear picture of what had happened during your encounter with Voldemort. That is why I later asked you speak up. What I did find instead, disturbed me greatly." For a moment, he dropped his head again and seemed unable to say more. Tears filled his piercing blue eyes as he thought back to what he had seen as guilt crashed even more heavily into him. Out of all the mistakes he had made in the past, this was the one that he most regretted. Not only had he condemned the boy, but he had started off a chain reaction of events that had effectively almost ruined his favourite pupil's life.

The young couple watched as Dumbledore collected himself. For Harry, fear was rising like a monster inside him as he dreaded to hear what his mentor had found inside his head.

"When I left you with your aunt all of those years ago, I knew she would not be the perfect mother towards you," His voice cracked a little as he spoke. "I knew that and accepted it as my main priority at the time was to keep you from the clutches of the remaining Death Eaters. What I never even considered was the possibility that I would be condemning you to live in a house filled with abuse and neglect."

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He moved swiftly to his feet and stalked quickly towards the fireplace, rage flooding his veins. He had known! Dumbledore had known all about his childhood, but he had never done a thing about it or acted like he cared! He had just thrown him back there, summer after summer despite what he knew.

But what had he actually known? Harry didn't think he knew the full extent of his 'family's' abuse- or at least he hoped he didn't. He couldn't stand the thought that Dumbledore knew all about the cupboard and the beatings and the threats and the constant fear he had felt as a child. His mind felt frazzled at the moment as it tried to deny the knowledge of the headmaster's latest words, and it was because of that that he didn't hear when Ginny unleashed her rage.

"YOU KNEW!" She screamed at the elderly wizard who cowered slightly in front of her as she stood up and towered over him in her anger. "YOU KNEW HOW THEY TREATED HIM ALL OF HIS TIME AND YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING! YOU KNEW HOW THEY HURT HIM, LOCKED HIM AWAY, BELITTLED HIM AND TERRORISED HIM, YET YOU THREW HIM TO THE WOLVES EACH AND EVERY GODDAMN YEAR! YOU NEVER TRIED TO HELP HIM, OR GET HIM OUT OF THERE! YOU JUST LEFT HIM TO ROT, AS LONG AS IT WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD!"

Dumbledore flinched spectacularly at the last statement and was about to deny her last few statements when Ginny drew her wand and fired a hex at him.

Now, normally one would think that it would be almost impossible to have the audacity to shoot a jinx at the famous Albus Dumbledore, and even more unbelievable to actually catch him off guard and hit him with said curse, but most people don't factor in an enraged Weasley woman who was filled to the brim with fluctuating hormones and a short temper to boot. Add in the fact that she had just learned that someone she looked up to allowed the man she loved to be hurt for years and you soon have an old man fending off bat bogeys.

At any normally given time Harry would have laughed his socks off at such a sight, but the sheer shock and disbelief at what his wife had done- what she had done _for him- _seemed to have snapped him from his own anger as he rushed forwards to remove the jinx. With a quick wave of his wand, the headmaster was left recovering as he enveloped Ginny into his arms both to provide comfort for her and to prevent her wand from coming up again.

"Gin, calm down love." He whispered in her ear as he felt her body vibrate with the barely comprehensible death threats she was spewing out. "He hasn't finished explaining yet. He obviously did something or it wouldn't have been brought up. Please calm down so we can hear what he has to say." He pleaded with her, trying to get her to think rationally. Eventually he felt her body relax under his arms and he gently removed them before sitting her back down. He sat beside her and resumed his previous position with her as he turned towards the other person in the room. Dumbledore seemed to have taken the time to recover from the shock and effects of the curse, though his eyes held no reprimand at her actions. He felt that Ginny's actions were justified as did not feel the need to rebuke her, which was a good thing because Ginny was not prepared to apologise- she felt no regret over cursing the old man and she would do it again in a heartbeat. Her entire posture screamed anger, but she limited her reaction to glaring at the headmaster. After a moment, the old man began his tale again, leaving the previous incident to fade into the background.

"Yes, I knew of their treatment of you and after you had left to go back there, I endeavoured to find a way to solve the issue. You see, due to the blood protections given to you when your mother sacrificed her life for yours, you would have to spend about a month in the same house as a direct blood relative in order to maintain that protection. So I sought to find a blood relative of yours that you could stay with each summer instead."

Harry bit his tongue to prevent himself from pointing out the fatal flaw in the plan- something that he had only discovered when he was 18 years old. Instead, he prompted Dumbledore to carry on speaking. "And?"

Dumbledore locked his gaze on the younger man's. "I looked through some of my more ancient tomes and found a spell that I believed would work. The incantation was '_sanguine proximi stirpem reperio rectus_' which roughly translates to mean 'find the next, direct blood descendant'. I cast the spell in my office and waited for it to work. According to the book, a ghostly image should have appeared showing a living descendant. No such thing happened, and so I put it down to a failed attempt." He sighed heavily and slumped down a little in his seat. Harry and Ginny watched him silently, their eyes hungry for the end of the story as their minds processed what had so far been said. They didn't fully understand it, but they had a rough idea that gave no clues as to what happened next.

"Unfortunately, due to the Ministry's current view on Voldemort's rebirth and their stance towards us, Harry, I had to out it out of my mind. Until a few days ago, that is.

"When I heard your tale, I went back to my office and thought back over the spell. I thought I had done something wrong, something that caused it to be inactive, and I spent a long time pacing my office as I tried to wrap my mind around it. Upon my pacing, I found that one of my many trinkets had been damaged."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he easily pictured the cluttered headmaster's office at Hogwarts. "Which trinket was it and how much was it damaged?" He questioned, his Auror training kicking in. He had to actively remind himself that Dumbledore was not a suspect he was grilling for information and he tried to reign it in. Dumbledore allowed himself the tiniest of smiles as he recognised Harry's demeanor.

"It was the trinket that lay on the low table near Fawkes' perch. The trinket on top was a blue spiral tower that had been passed down in my family for generations. I did not quite know what its purpose was and so I only kept it there for decoration. It had always had a constant stream of fine powder flowing through it, and it was only when I found it broken did I realise that the fine powder represented time." He paused again to allow his words to sink in. It was Ginny that answered his silent prompt, with her eyebrows furrowed and a frown upon her face.

"It was a time turner?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, my dear. A very powerful and old time turner. I soon realised that it must have been broken by the force of the spell I had used, thus releasing the powder inside."

The young couple looked as though they had seen the ghost as they stared at Dumbledore. Their minds seemed to have screeched to a halt as they guessed what had happened next. They both had come to the same conclusion, but they did not want to understand what they knew. They felt that if they did, then they would have to admit that there was no going back, that they would have to stay in this time and go through the war again, that their baby boy would have to be born in an unhappy and dark place- a place that they thought they had left behind them forever. Tears started to leak from Ginny's eyes as she listened to the man sat across from her.

"I think that the broken time turner altered the spell that I used. I believe that it created a temporal aspect, halting the effects of the spell until the next direct blood descendant of Harry's came around- the baby that Ginevra is currently carrying.

"The broken time turner caused the activated spell to bring your child back to the time it had been cast- the present day, now- and because the baby shares some DNA from the both of you, it brought you both back with it."

"It….. The spell…. It brought Ja- our baby….. Back with…. Us?" Harry stuttered brokenly as he gripped Ginny closer to him and cradles her swollen stomach protectively. He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was undeniable. It had happened, and there was nothing to do about it.

Ginny felt numb. Something inside her told her that there was something more to this theory, something that neither of the men with her knew about. Her mind wandered back to the night she had told Harry, when she saw his face light up with excitement as he thanked her profusely for giving him a child. She thought back to how he had proudly announced the news to her family, how she had looked at each of the shining faces filled with happiness and couldn't help but feel that something was missing….

"It's all my fault." She whispered aloud. Both of the men snapped their gazes towards her, a sudden concern etched on their faces.

"Mrs Potter, this situation is not your fault whatsoever. You weren't even aware of the cause until just now. What could you have possibly caused?" Dumbledore asked in a kind and persuasive tone. He shared a look with Harry who looked just as confused and lost as he did. Ginny shook her head in denial towards his words before she continued in a voice that was hoarse and slowly becoming more hysterical with each new word.

"It is, it is all my fault! The spell wouldn't have brought us back as soon as it did, because my baby boy would have been too small…. He wouldn't have been fully formed yet! But when I told Harry we were going….. Going…. Going to have a child…. I-I….. I wished that everyone was there with us!" She wailed. She kept on tripping over her words and stuttered as her breathing became rapped and shallow. Harry wrapped his arms around her body and rocked her gently from side to side as he panicked. He began to try desperately to calm her down, but that didn't seem possible and she continued to babble and blame herself.

"I wished S-Sirius was here… to…to… to see how h-happy you were! And… and… and I wanted Fred to see and m-meet his new n-n-nephew! It made it happen! It made the spell bring us back! It's all my fault!" As soon as she ended that sentence, she broke down into gut wrenching, body shaking sobs. In the back of her mind, she knew she was becoming increasingly hysterical, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She seemed to be drowning in grief, guilt and sorrow as she thought about the situation she thought she had put them in. Her baby would have to live in a fear ridden world and Harry would have to fight Voldemort all over again. The war had felt a long way away when she was a teenager, but after living through it, she could finally understand all of her mother's fears and the fears of the rest of the adults. She had seen her family be destroyed by the war, had seen countless of her friends and people she knew die as they fought to secure and preserve their world. She had seen all that once and now it would appear that she would have to go through it all again- something that she wasn't sure she could do.

Would she be able to see her family and friends hurt again? Would she be able to watch as the people around her started to die? Would she be able to watch as Harry battled the biggest monster the world had ever known all over again?

She didn't think her heart would handle it, and as she lost herself in the sea of emotions, she realised that her baby- her precious James Sirius- would be brought into a world of cruelty and hatred, into a world where all could be lost. And most horrifyingly of all, her precious James Sirius could end up growing up in a world without his parents.

It was a very real possibility; her Harry was going to be in the thick of this war, even more so than he had been last time, and Ginny knew that she would stand beside him always. The realisation that she and Harry could die, leaving her son behind, crushed her and twisted her heart until she didn't think she would ever surface from the pain.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A/N: Well, there you have it!**

**The ending and the time travel explanation… meh, it could have gone better. Hopefully I haven't offended you in anyway, Comet Jim! I did try!**

**Any questions about it, either leave me a review or PM me! :D**

**Before anyone says anything, I purposely had Charlie's reaction minimal and comical. I'm getting a bit bored of writing all of the angst about the whole situation and the "OMG, YOUR PREGNANT! ARGH! AND FROM THE FUTURE! DOUBLE ARGH!" so I mixed it up a little. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint you!**

**Little side point that has nothing to do with anything:- have any of you ever noticed that 'Grimmauld Place' basically sounds like "grim old place"? It honestly blew my mind when I realised :D**

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be out quicker than this. Again, I am really sorry about the delay!**

**P.S:- anyone interested in checking out my new story? It's basically my take on a powerful!Harry story (Don't ask me why I like to write cliché storylines….. I have no idea my self!) The full summary is inside! Check it out!**

**LilMissMoonRay**


	7. Bits and Bobs

**A/N: Hello my dearies!**

**The delay was due to me being slightly lazy and my internet got cut off and this chapter just wouldn't write…. but I'm sure you'll all forgive me….. Plus I was busy being a beta hehe.**

**Now, before anything else, I just want to say a big massive, warm and fuzzy thank you to everyone for your support. Your reviews made me laugh, giggle, smile, gasp and feel at ease. I cannot say how grateful I am to you all; you are all honestly fantastically brilliant. Thank you so much!**

**For those that have had something done to you for your sexuality or for whatever other reasons- screw them. You are a beautiful person who has the right to be exactly who and how you are. Never let anyone bring you down- you will always rise above them!**

**Oh, and if I haven't responded to your review, please let me know and I'll make sure I do next time (if there is one… you may never want to review again…..). It personally annoys me when authors don't reply to the reviews I leave, so I try my hardest to reply to all of you :D**

**On the topic of reviews: Holy mother of Merlin! At the time of writing this, I have had 328 reviews for 6 chapters! :O That is just… phenomenal! It's… I can't even describe how bloody amazing it is. I am honestly speechless. So many people have written more chapters and still don't have this amount of reviews, so again, I would like to say a big big thank you! A large thank you as well to those who have added me on their favourites or who have alerted my humble story :D.**

**Now, I just have a few things to clear up:**

**Yes, Harry and Ginny are permanently stuck in the future. They cannot go back to their own time. This means that yes, baby James will be born during this new time line and yes, they will have to fight in the war once again. They will never be able to see their loved ones from the future, but more of that will be explained in this chapter.**

**No, Harry is no longer a Horcrux, therefore he will not have to die and sacrifice himself like he did in Deathly Hallows. If you want to know how that happened, I suggest you go back and look in my previous chapters.**

**No, no more people from the future will be coming back in time. This is an unique situation and applies to Harry and Ginny alone. Also, as they are staying in this timeline, no one will be travelling back in time to take them home. If that is the kind of story you are after, then I'm afraid you won't find it here. Again, more of this will be explained in this chapter. **

**Yes, things are going to change a lot because they have more information than they did when they were younger. That does not mean that they will destroy a Horcrux a day, or that Voldemort will be destroyed next week- that just isn't logical in anyway. It will take time. (and hehe, a Horcrux a day keeps Voldemort away ;))**

**Yes, it will be cannon pairings, so Ron and Hermione will get together and Remus and Tonks will get together. Again, this will take time as they all need to sort out some issues. Will R/T still have Teddy? To be honest, I don't know yet. Maybe he will be born later on, or if I ever write a sequel it may happen in that, but I can't promise anything. Will Sirius live and get together with someone? Again, no idea. There will be character deaths in this story (it's realistic and expected) and I haven't fully decided if Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Snape, Fred, etc will die. We shall just have to see. At the moment I am leaning towards keeping them all alive, but I may not feel that way in 10 chapters or so. I'm not promising anything!**

**For this story, I reckon there will be 20+ chapters. I have the ending all figured out and a rough outline of what is to happen, but I need to fine tune and write it all.**

**Before anyone comments, yes I know that this chapter is a bit choppy and it doesn't exactly flow, but it is supposed to be like this. Basically this is a filler chapter that will answer most of the questions people have asked me. I wanted to get the explanations out before they go to Hogwarts and it's basically a way for me to pass the time in the storyline. Plus, it's basically a way for me to get the characters to bond more.**

**Last thing (I promise!)- I have a poll up on my profile which I would appreciate you looking at. Basically, I want to know if you reckon Harry should have any detentions with the toad (yes, Umbitch will be teaching, unfortunately). Please let me know!**

**Man, you must all get fed up with these long author's notes…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Harry Potter universe. All recognised fictional characters and locations are the sole property of the fabulous J.K Rowling. All I own are a couple of strawberry shortcake scented candles… :D**

**Listening To: Read All About It- Professor Green ft. Emeli Sande (flipping brilliant song…..)**

**P.S- Time travel makes my head hurt!**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Professor Dumbledore and Harry were unable to fully comprehend what Ginny was babbling about, nor they could they ease her anguish and stop her sobs. Eventually, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and cast a heavy sleeping charm on the pregnant teenager. Harry gently caught her as she slipped into Morpheus' realm and laid her down on the sofa before turning towards his mentor and sighing.

"She blames herself." He pointed out the obvious. It was pretty much the only thing he could decipher from her babble; he had been too busy trying to calm her down to pay attention. "Did anything else she said make any sense to you?"

Albus sat down and contemplated his hands for a moment before he looked up. His heart twinged as when he saw the defeatist air that clung to the young man. His emerald eyes were dull and his face somehow seemed aged, despite the fact that not a single line marred his features. This was the reason why Dumbledore had hesitated to tell them anything yet- he did not want to burden them more than they already were. However, he knew that if he did not inform them of what he knew, the constant questions and what ifs would have plagued them, would have weaved through their minds until they burst. No matter how much the venerable old wizard wanted to protect the boy he loved as his own family, he was also painfully aware that he was no longer the innocent young boy- if he ever actually was such a thing- who had gone through more trials and tribulations than most. No, Harry Potter was an experienced man trapped in a younger body and to withhold the truth from him would have practically been impossible.

"I am not quite sure, Harry." He eventually omitted. "It would appear that Ginevra- excuse my phrasing- made a wish upon a star. A wish to have her family once again whole and to have the people you yourself cared for as family around you both to share this happy occasion. She blames herself for bringing you both back in time because of this wish."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he let this sink in. He sat down gently next to his wife, trying not to jostle her, before he opened his mouth and spoke.

"But that's not possible, is it sir?" He asked, a frown marring his face. "So Ginny made a wish. It doesn't mean it caused us to be sent back in time. Your spell did this."

Even though Dumbledore knew Harry didn't say his last words to hurt him, he couldn't help the slight flinch he made at the sentence. He ignored his body's guilty response as he answered Harry's question.

"Yes, my spell was the main cause for your time travel. However, Ginevra does have a point. The spell should not have activated until your child had been born, and so something must have happened in order to trigger the early response."

Harry's head was beginning to hurt as his brain was overloaded with information he wasn't quite ready to process. "I understand that, sir. But what does Ginny's wish have to do with it?"

"Ginny's wish acted as the trigger, Harry." Dumbledore simply said. Harry opened his mouth to contradict him, but the old man held up his hand as he carried on. "Let me explain. Ginevra made her wish after she had told you she was expecting. To her, it was something she wanted desperately at the time and so it was not the words that acted as a trigger, but the intent behind them. After all, it is normally the intent behind a wizard's words that causes the most extraordinary magic to happen."

Harry sat there with a blank look on his face as Dumbledore stood up. The words he had just heard tumbled around like a blizzard in his mind.

"I know it is a lot to take in. Why don't you take your wife upstairs and rest awhile. I shall go and inform the others on what we have discussed." Albus watched the young man for a moment, and only after he got a slight nod in reaction to his departing words did he leave the living room.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry wasn't quite sure how long he sat there for, contemplating the startling revelation he had just heard. All he was really aware of was the soft, deep breathing that came from his magically sleeping wife. He sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair before standing up. He couldn't sit there any longer and decided that he would push what he had learned to the back of his mind.

He turned around, gently wrapped his arms around Ginny's neck and legs and lifted her in his arms.

"Bloody hell, I really was scrawny when I was younger." He muttered to himself as his legs protested slightly at the weight of the person in his arms. He ignored it and slowly trudged upstairs, taking extra care not to disturb the red haired angel that sat in his arms.

He soon got to the room they were now sharing- he grinned a little at this idea- and carefully laid her down on a pillow. He then slid in next to her, propping his back against the headboard, and pulled her onto his chest.

His hand skimmed and wove through her long hair as he got lost in his thoughts, so lost that he didn't hear the quiet knock that sounded from the door.

"Harry? Ginny?" Hermione called out quietly as she and Ron stuck their heads through the door. Harry looked up at her call and with a weary smile on his face, he beckoned the two in to join him.

They quietly stepped towards them before they sat at the end of the bed. Neither of them said anything, and Harry basked in the silence, knowing that it would only last as long as it took for his best friends to formulate their questions. True to form, Hermione quickly broke the silence.

"Dumbledore explained what you three talked about." She stated in a quiet voice. Harry was grateful that they knew not to talk too loudly; he didn't know how long Ginny would be under the sleeping spell for and he would rather she woke in a soothing atmosphere, not one filled with questions.

"Yeah. He told me that he was going to tell you all about it." His voice sounded slightly dead, even to his own ears. Hermione took a moment before speaking again.

"What are you thinking, Harry?"

The Boy-Who-Lived didn't answer straight away. He didn't even look at his two friends. Instead he focused his attention on Ginny's fiery red hair that twirled around his moving fingers. How was he feeling?

Ron just watched his friend intently, watched as the turbulent emotions that normally swirled beneath the surface play across his face. Ron was often rebuked and teased for not noticing things, but he actually saw a lot more than people thought. Being Harry's best friend for four years had taught him not to push him, to wait for him to be ready to speak if he really wanted to know what was going on in the youth's mind. While Hermione normally ploughed right in and demanded their friend confront his feelings, Ron knew that staying quiet was the best way to get Harry to open up.

After numerous minutes, Harry opened his mouth.

"It's…. I don't really even know myself." He frowned as the words struggled to come to him. "It's like…. having a dream shattered, you know? Even though we told you some of the stuff we knew, we both had the idea in the back of our minds that we wouldn't be here long, that we'd be going back to our own time, that we'd have to obliviate you all so our own future wouldn't change." Harry paused for a moment and swallowed thickly. When he carried on, his voice was heavy with sadness. "But none of that is going to happen. We won't be going back because we can't. We're stuck here. Stuck in this horrible, frightening reality that we both thought we'd left behind." He stopped abruptly as his throat closed up. Acknowledging the truth aloud was hard and painful- he was going have to do it all again and, even though he had more knowledge than the last time, he didn't have a clue what to expect.

Ron and Hermione shared a quick glance.

When Dumbledore had gone into the kitchen, he had found them all standing around. They had all heard Ginny screaming at the headmaster, even if the words were undecipherable. It had cause the majority of them to jump in surprise- they didn't believe that Ginny had the audacity to scream like a banshee at the old man, and the fact that she had made them all realise that something truly awful had happened. When they had all been told how they had been brought back in time, Hermione and Ron had understood the implications perfectly. They knew instantly and accepted it quicker than either Harry or Ginny ever could.

Once the headmaster had left, they had left the rest of the occupants to discuss the new knowledge as they crept upstairs to see their friends and sister.

Hermione watched sadly as the boy she thought of as a brother struggled to accept the truth. She could see that it pained him greatly to have his dreams and expectations crushed like that and she knew that he wanted to deny it with every fibre of his being. Neither she nor Ron said anything, they just stayed quiet as they waited for Harry to talk about it all.

None of them spoke for a long time and the only sound in the room was the quiet scuffling of Hedwig on the wardrobe as she watched her master and the soothing sounds of Ginny sleeping.

"I had a godson, you know. In the future." Harry eventually said. His voice cracked a little, but he still didn't look away from his wife's hair.

"What? You mean someone was actually stupid enough to make you a godfather?" Ron blurted out incredulously.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed scandalously as she whacked him round the back of his head. Harry snorted a little and a small smile crept on his face.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing to myself when R- I was asked." He nearly slipped up and told them that Remus was the one to ask him to be his son's godfather. He couldn't tell them that- it wasn't quite time for them to know.

"What was he like?" Hermione asked straight away. She wanted to ask who the boy's parents were but something told her that Harry would not answer that. She watched as a prideful smile spread across his face.

"His name is Teddy and he was like my own son." He looked up briefly to see the questioning look on their faces. "His parents passed away when he was about 2 months old."

Ron grimaced and Hermione gasped. "Oh no!"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I took him in and looked after him, with the help of his grandmother. He was an orphan, I couldn't just leave him. Not after what happened to me."

Ron's eyes narrowed at the way he said that. Something told him that his best mate meant more than the fact that Harry himself had been an orphan. A brief flash of steel bars on a window flitted through his mind and he wondered if his friend was thinking of the Dursleys.

Before either of them could speak up about it, however, Harry whispered a sentence in such a broken voice that their own hearts twinged painfully at the deep sadness that plagued the black haired boy.

"I'm never going to see him again." He croaked as tears flooded in his eyes. "I'm never going to be there for him again. I'm never going to…" He closed his eyes tightly as one of the tears dribbled hot down his cheek.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione murmured as she gently crawled up the bed and wrapped her arms around the thin boy. Ron watched as she leaned her head on his before he moved over himself and placed his hand on Harry's arm. Hermione spoke as Harry struggled to get his emotions under control.

"Dumbledore explained it all to us, and I know you're worried that he will be all alone in the future without you there, yes?" She paused for a moment before carrying on once she had seen Harry nod his head shakily. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about that-"

"What do you mean?" Harry snapped out as he looked up to glare at her. "He is alone! He only had me and his grandmother! I've left him alone!"

Ron sent Hermione a warning look but she carried on explaining regardless.

"Harry, listen to me! You may feel like you've left him alone, but you travelled back in time. Don't interrupt me!" She said sternly as he opened his mouth again. "You've travelled back in time, which means that whatever you do from now on will influence your future! Don't you see? You're shaping a new future, which means that anything that has happened in your future won't exist anymore." She ended in a soft tone. Harry and Ron looked at her with confused expressions.

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Harry asked in a quieter and wary tone. Ron said nothing, but his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Think about it, Harry. You've already changed the future. The things that happened last time for you have either already happened earlier than they should have or they won't happen at all. Plus, you'll be having your child now when you are 15 instead of when you would have originally had it at the age of 23! Also, Teddy might not be born at the same time in this timeline, which means he might not exist in the future. Don't you see?" She repeated in a slightly exasperated voice. "Your future doesn't exist anymore, so you won't have left anyone behind."

Harry gaped for her. Half of what she had said didn't make sense, but her point did. His future had already changed, so what happened before he travelled back in time might not happen at all now. The present that he had travelled away from might not exist, so there would be no on to leave behind and no one to wait for him. He had just about grasped that when Ron butted in with his own thoughts.

"You have a chance to do it all again, mate. We all know that it was bad for you and my sister, but you have the chance to prevent those bad things from happening. You can help Teddy meet his parents this time."

This time, it was not just Harry that was gaping. Hermione stared at the red haired boy, an odd glint of admiration in her eyes. Both of them went red as they held each other's gaze and Harry couldn't do anything but roll his eyes. Hopefully they won't decide to get together in the middle of a battle for the free world this time around.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The next week or so after the revelation passed without much fuss. For the first few days, Ginny refused to leave the bed she now shared with Harry as she wallowed in the guilt, horror and frightened feelings that roamed through her system and choked her brain. Eventually Harry had decided that enough was enough and talked to her. He explained all that both Dumbledore and Hermione had explained to him and he refused to leave her alone, even when she threw objects at him. Ginny soon ran out of steam and it took a lot of tears before she began to accept that what they were all saying was true. The horrible weight still clung to her heart, but it wasn't as all consuming as it had been. She knew that her guilt wouldn't suddenly disappear, but she had to deal with it, just as Harry had dealt with his own demons over the years. She came out of her self imposed exile and soon had enough of her own energy back to even argue with Mrs Weasley when she berated her for using her wand to help with the house cleaning.

"You can't just keep waving your wand around!" Molly exclaimed as she stood over the form of her daughter. "In case you haven't forgotten, young lady, you are still underage and shouldn't be doing magic! Now stop being lazy and use some elbow grease, for goodness sake!"

Anger rose in Ginny as she placed her hands on her hips in a mirror image of her mother. The rest of the room's occupants- Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Remus and Sirius- watched wearily as the two Weasley women squared off against one another.

When Ginny spoke, her words came out in a clipped way that showed how angry she was.

"For one thing, mother, I may be underage physically, but I am actually much older than that!"

"I do not care how old you are in your head, Ginevra! The fact of the matter is that at the moment you are not of age, especially in the eyes of the Ministry! I do not care about your mind, you are physically underage and you will stop using that as an excuse!" She scolded Ginny as she narrowed her eyes. It seemed that her daughter and Harry were keen to point out that they were mentally older than they seemed, and Molly for one was sick of it being used as a get out of jail card. If they were as adult as they said they were, then they should accept that they have to get used to the fact that they were still children for the time being and have to abide by the rules.

"It's not like the Ministry is going to find out anyway!" Ginny scoffed. "In case you had forgotten, this house is under the fidelius charm! That means that the Ministry cannot track the magic that happens here. Plus, I am living in a house that is constantly full of fully qualified wizards! And as for the fact that I should use elbow grease and shouldn't be so lazy, I am pregnant mother! I know that doesn't mean I can use my wand for every little thing, but I'd rather use my wand to clean than to hurt my back scrubbing and inhaling possibly harmful fumes that could affect my baby!" She argued back to her mother before she turned around and stalked out of the room. Nobody said anything for a moment as they all watched Molly's mouth open and close like a fish. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but Molly was actually quite proud that her daughter was consciously thinking about the things that could potentially harm her child and so she decided that she would let the issue slide…. For now.

"Excellent!" Fred said with a grin as he fished his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans. "Now we can just wave our wands and-"

"Don't even think about it Frederick Weasley!" Molly snarled at her son.

"What? Ginny can-" He and George immediately began to protest, outrage etched on their faces. However, mother Weasley was not quite finished with her anger yet.

"Just because you are of age doesn't mean you have to whip out your wands for every little thing!" Her voice steadily rose as she waggled her finger at her children. "A bit of hard work never hurt anyone, so I'm sure you'll live! Besides, Ginny is pregnant and we need to make sure she is as healthy and comfortable as possible!" She fixed them all with a stern look before she left the room in a manner remarkably similar to her hormonal daughter.

Hermione quietly got back to work scrubbing a skirting board as the guys all gaped at the door. A few moments later though, all of the Weasley children turned as one to glare beadily at Harry.

The young hero backed away slightly and gulped, before letting out a small sigh and stowing his wand back in his jeans. With no noise whatsoever, he picked up a sodden rag and went back to work.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry and Ginny's birthdays passed with little fuss. Molly had been all for throwing a large party as a celebration, but the young couple were merely happy with a cake and some alone time in their room (the latter of which Ron and the rest of the Weasley males were not happy with and didn't even want to think about). A few presents were given to them individually but the majority of the things they got were to do with the new baby.

The next opportunity for a party came on the day that the Hogwarts letters arrived at Grimmauld Place.

Harry, Ron and Ginny were in the young couple's room (Ron had moved out and got a room to himself)- Ginny was sitting on one of the beds, Harry was on a chair, trying to reach the top of the wardrobe, and Ron was cursing as he rooted through his trunk looking for a missing sock- when Hermione came running into the room, her bushy hair floating like a cloud behind her.

"Hogwarts letters!" She practically sang as she passed the enveloped around and ripped her own open as she plonked herself on the bed next to Ginny.

Ginny gave hers a brief scan before setting it to the side. "We'll have to give mum our lists so she can go to Diagon Alley for us."

Ron frowned at her as he struggled with his letter. "What do you mean she'll go for us?"

"They haven't let us out of the house since the start of summer, so I doubt they'll-" Her explanation was cut off by the high pitched squeal that came from next to her. Ginny's head swivelled round quickly as Harry got his wand out of his jeans so fast it was like a blur.

"Merlin, Hermione! Don't do that!" He scowled at his friend as she jumped up and down on the spot. He stowed his wand away before opening his own letter and scanning it briefly.

"Oh Harry! I'm a prefect! I got a badge! Look!" She squealed at him uncharacteristically as she showed off her pristine, red and gold prefect badge. "Where's yours? Show me!"

Ginny glanced quickly at Hermione before looking at her brother who seemed to have frozen in shock.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow at Hermione, before he surreptitiously gestured his head towards his best mate.

Hermione frowned at him, not quite understanding what he was trying to say to her, then turned her head to look at Ron as well. When she saw him standing with a flabbergasted expression, she immediately began to fret that something was wrong with him.

"Ron?" She cautiously said as she moved closer to him. "Are you okay?"

Ron looked up at her as if he had never seen her before. Hermione was about to ask him why he was looking at her like that when he too held up a badge that was identical to the one the bushy haired witch was holding.

Hermione looked blankly at the badge for a moment, then looked up into Ron's face that held a hint of worry in them. She opened her mouth to ask Harry why he hadn't got a badge, when his odd movements registered in her mind- he knew that Ron was going to get the badge and he didn't want her to make him feel bad by assuming that he had got it instead of their friend.

She didn't waste another moment.

"Oh Ron! I'm so happy for you!" She gushed as she flung herself at the red haired boy. Ron looked bewildered for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist. They both shivered slightly as a warm feeling spread over them both.

"You really mean that?" He whispered slightly at her as he leaned back to look into her deep, hazel eyes.

"Of course." She breathed back as she stared up at him.

Harry and Ginny watched with bated breaths as the two stayed intertwined, their faces slowly moving closer together as though by gravity…

Their eyes stayed locked…

Their lips parted…

Their hearts thumped erratically in their chests….

Their lips were millimetres away from brushing against one another…

_CRACK!_

All four occupants in the room jumped- Harry grabbed Ginny by the waist to stop her from falling off the bed while Hermione and Ron leapt apart, their faces bright red.

"So, we see that the Hogwarts letters have arrived…" One of the twins said, not noticing the disappointed tension that flooded the air.

Ron and Hermione studiously avoided looking at one another and Harry and Ginny were torn between laughing out loud or glaring at the intruders.

'_Well,_' mused Ginny as she nodded along to whatever the twins were saying and burrowed herself in Harry's arms. '_You can't have everything in life…_'

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

About a week before the children had to return to Hogwarts, the kitchen was filled with a high amount of tension that surprisingly seemed to be coming from Remus and Tonks.

All throughout the evening meal, they were nothing but uncomfortably polite to one another and everyone could tell that something was wrong- they just didn't know what.

Except for Harry and Ginny.

The two time travellers shared a look with each other and resolved to talk to the pair; they suspected that Remus had put his foot in it somehow and had inadvertently hurt Tonk's feelings, something that neither of the teens were very happy about.

Arthur cleared his throat. "So… Everyone enjoying the food?" His voice was full of weak cheeriness as he looked furtively between the werewolf and metamorphmagus, both of whom were picking moodily at their plates. The rest of the room's occupants stayed silent apart from a few agreeable grunts. Only Remus actually answered verbally.

"Oh, yes Arthur. It's lovely, thank you Molly." He politely said as he gave the Weasley parents a small smile. He had just looked back down at his plate when Tonks gave a disdainful snort.

"I wouldn't believe what he says, Molly. He's probably just trying to _protect you_." The last two words were snarled out with disgust and a little hatred as she glared daggers at the older man.

Everything stopped. No one moved. No one even breathed.

Remus slowly chewed his mouthful of food before he put his fork down and turned to the girl across from him.

"Excuse me?" He asked in an annoyingly calm and polite voice. Tonks didn't even try and mask her anger like Remus was doing; she threw her fork down on her plate and leaned towards him- arms folded on the wood, scowl on her face and hair slowly tingeing a mixture of black and red.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Lupin."

"Well, you obviously had something to say. Why don't you share it with the class?" His voice stayed the same, but a slight tone of steel weaved through. The calm mask on his face quickly disappeared though, as he realised that was the wrong thing to say.

Tonks stood up so abruptly, causing both her plate and the ones that were next to her to topple off the table. The sounds of the crockery smashing masked the sharp inhales of air that erupted from people's mouths.

Sirius' lips were pressed into a thin line as he watched what was going on. He wished that he could just whack his friend upside his head but refrained as he knew that his cousin was perfectly capable of looking after herself. That was one of the things he wished Remus would get through his thick head; Tonks was no longer a child, and she was well aware of the risks of getting into a relationship with a werewolf- she worked at the Ministry of Magic, after all. He just couldn't understand why his friend wouldn't allow himself to be happy! It was obvious to everyone that they both liked each other, but Remus insisted on pushing the young girl away.

Harry sighed silently as he leaned back. Ginny next to him closed her eyes for a moment before she reached forwards and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. They both had one thought running through their heads: '_Things are about to get messy…_'

"'Share it with the class'?" She repeated in quiet anger. She snorted humourlessly as her lips pressed together and she looked away for a moment. When she looked back at him, her eyes seemed slightly wetter than usual. "I'm not a kid any more, Lupin. I know exactly what I'm talking about and exactly what I feel. That isn't going to change, no matter how much you wish it would. Why can't you just-" She suddenly cut herself off, seemingly unable to finish her sentence. She cast one last look at the older man before she practically ran- or tripped, in her case- out of the kitchen.

Remus just stared at the space that she had just been standing in, his face appearing more lined than ever as his skin turned a pasty, grey colour.

Ginny sighed heavily as she clumsily got to her feet. "Come on, Hermione. Let's go find Tonks." She said quietly as she passed the bushy haired girl. Hermione didn't even argue- she just got up and followed the red haired girl out of the room.

"Come on, Weasley's," Arthur murmured. "I'm sure your mother has something she needs us to clean up." The boys all got up and left the room; even Ron knew that nothing should or could be said at the moment.

"But what about the dishes?" Molly asked as she glanced worriedly around the room.

"I'll sort that out, Molly." Harry said to her as he remained seated. "Don't worry about it." Molly looked once between Harry and Remus before she nodded slightly and left the room.

Only Sirius, Remus and Harry remained in the room, until Sirius himself sighed sadly and began to walk out. On his way, he stopped to place his hand on his old friend's shoulder.

"Remember what I said Remus." Was all he said before he left the room as well, leaving just the professor and his student.

Neither said anything- Remus because he didn't know what to say and Harry because he was waiting for Remus to get his thoughts into gear.

"She doesn't understand." Remus eventually said as he ran his hands over his face. He looked entirely frustrated and slightly angry- but at who, Harry wasn't sure.

The Boy-Who-Lived merely picked up his cup and took a sip from it, before calmly putting it back down and regarding his friend.

"To be honest, Remus," He said in a mild tone. '_I'm turning into Dumbledore…_' He internally groaned as he continued aloud. "I think you're the one who doesn't understand."

Amber eyes pierced emerald green as the werewolf glared at Harry. His anger was rising quickly. Why wouldn't they all just listen to him! He knew best, after all! None of them had to live as he had- shunned and feared across the entire wizarding world. Why couldn't they just accept that he was supposed to be alone, and being in a relationship with the young Auror would only end up with her being hurt?

"You don't know what you're talking about, Harry." He said in a bland and dead voice. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, conscious of the fact that he would have to be gentle, yet firm with the older man- he was quickly angering and it was only a matter of time before the wolf came to the surface.

With a slight jolt to the system, Harry remembered that the last time he had had a conversation like this with Remus, it had ended with the lycanthrope running away and Harry being blasted backwards into the kitchen wall. He grimaced internally, but kept up his calm façade as he conversed with Remus.

"I know perfectly well what I am talking about, Remus."

"No you don't!" Remus roared as he leapt to his feet. He had begun to breath heavily as all of his frustrations and resentment rose to the surface. A distant part of him knew that Harry didn't deserve him shouting at him, but unfortunately he was in the direct path of his harsh feelings. A larger part of him thought that it was Harry's own fault because he insisted in pushing him. "You don't get it! I'm dangerous!"

"So am I." Harry calmly stated. He had now sat back in his chair and his arms were folded over his chest. He let a ghost of a smirk spread across his face as he took in Remus' momentarily flabbergasted expression.

"What do you mean you're dangerous?" Remus shouted in disbelief. "You're no more dangerous than a puffskein!" Harry's eye twitched irritably at those words, but he remained quiet. "I'm dangerous to be around! People can get hurt around me! I'm not safe!"

"Neither am I, Remus. I understand that." Remus opened his mouth to contradict him, but Harry merely raised his voice over him. "I'm top of Voldemort's 'to kill' list. People around me can and will get hurt, just because they are in the way. Don't you see? It may not be the same situation, but they are similar. Voldemort will stop at nothing to get to me; he will destroy anything and anyone who gets in his way."

Remus let out a disbelieving snort. "Yeah, like that will happen!" He snarled. Normally, Remus wouldn't say something like that but his emotions were getting away from him. He felt trapped and misunderstood, and with the wolf so close to the surface, he couldn't control himself. So, for the second time in half an hour, Remus said something completely stupid.

Harry rose steadily to his feet, a scowl on his hardened face and a prickle of energy flooded the room. His hands were shaking slightly as his magic went slightly haywire. A slight tinkle was heard as eating utensils shook with the vibrating energy. Remus' eyebrows rose a little, but he didn't have chance to say anything as Harry began to rip into him.

"It did happen, Remus!" He barked at the older man. His voice was hard, icy and steely and if he was honest with himself, Remus could admit that it scared him. "It happened before and it will happen again! An eleven year old girl used as a way to lure me in! A friend killed because he was a 'spare'! Hundreds of school children, as young as twelve, blasted away because they were in the way! Because they wouldn't let him get to me!" Remus once again opened his mouth, but Harry wouldn't allow him to speak- so much for the calm approach. Harry let loose and berated Remus like he was a young children caught in the wrong.

"Shut up! You say you're dangerous, that people will get hurt around you- don't you think they know that? Don't you think Tonks realises that! Well they do! And guess what? They don't care! You talk about people not understanding, people not getting it, when in actual fact it's you that hasn't got a bloody clue!" He shouted. The vibrations of magic in the room got worse and objects rattled ominously on their shelves as Harry's eyes narrowed even further. Remus didn't dare speak or move- hell, he was even worried he might breath wrong!

"We're both dangerous to be around, regardless of whether the situations are the same or not. Does that mean I should take a leaf out of your book? Should I leave Ginny, abandon my child, push her away, hurt her feelings constantly as I waltz around acting like I know what is best for her and everyone?" His voice had dropped to a venomous hiss and combined with the way his eyes had turned into slits reminded the werewolf of a snake. "That's what you're doing to Tonks. She knows exactly what she's getting into and she doesn't care, Remus. She knows the risks, but she also knows that she loves you. Why can't you just accept that and make yourself happy instead of breaking both of your hearts?"

Remus stared down at the worn table, unable to meet Harry's eyes for shame. He didn't even look up when he heard the young man's chair being pushed backwards or when the kitchen door opened- he just stayed still and let the words crash around his skull.

Before he could analyse them too much, however, Harry had stopped in the doorway and spoke one last time.

"I left Ginny once." Remus looked up at that, startled. Of all of the things Harry could have said to him in that moment, that was the one he had least expected. "To protect her from Voldemort because I couldn't bear the thought of seeing her hurt, of seeing her killed because she was with me. I wasted a year wishing I was with her and I hurt her so badly, broke her heart so much that she wouldn't speak to me for months after Voldemort was killed. She wouldn't even be in the same room as me. Don't make the same mistake that I made."

And with those last words and insight into his complicated life, Harry left the kitchen.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry refused to speak to Remus for a few days afterwards and Tonks was not seen around the house either. After her talk with Hermione and Ginny (something that neither girl would talk about, claiming it to be a 'sisterly secret' that they wouldn't understand), Tonks had gathered up any things she had left lying around the house and then had left for her own flat.

The last week leading up towards Hogwarts was filled with a monotony that made all of the teenagers yearn for 1st September. Ginny seemed to be going into a more of a foul mood than before which they all chalked down to pregnancy hormones which was pretty believable considering all of their weird foods she had been eating recently. However, Ginny was in such a foul mood because she knew she would have to see the hag again. She could be seen muttered to herself at odd points during the day, and whenever someone asked Harry if they knew what was wrong with her, he merely shook his head and smiled at them.

The only interesting thing that happened during that week was that Harry got a letter from a tawny brown owl that belonged to the Ministry of Magic.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked him as he frowned over a slice of toast. Most of the occupants of the room were focused and riveted on the letter that was clasped in Harry's hand.

He used his knife to slice open the official seal and pulled the letter out of the yellowish envelope. Nobody spoke as his eyes moved rapidly from side to side- they were too busy fretting that something was wrong.

When he had finished his letter, Harry looked up and gave everyone a grin. "Relax, guys. It's from Madam Bones; she says that my charges for my breach of the Restriction for Underage Sorcery have been dropped as she feels that my actions were justified." He glanced back down at the letter before smiling to himself in amusement. "She even apologises for not finding out who sent the Dementors after men, but she is going to everything she can to hunt them down and banish the offending Dementors from Azkaban."

"She can't do that, can she?" Asked Charlie as he blinked at Harry.

Remus chuckled. "Amelia Bones is quite a formidable witch. I personally wouldn't stand in her way."

As everyone began to discuss and congratulate Harry on the good news, no-one saw him slip an additional letter into his pocket.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A/N 2: There you have it! Cliff hanger!**

**It's not my best chapter and it's not particularly exciting, but it explains things that need to be explained. Remember, it's supposed to be choppy!**

**I'm not sure about the whole telling of Remus thing :/ what do you think? And no, that does not mean that Remus and Tonks will get together straight away… As much as I wish ;)**

**They shall be off to Hogwarts in the next chapter! How will the baby be concealed? Will they be forced to sleep in separate dorms? No one knows…**

**Well, I do…. But I ain't telling! ;)**

**And I promise that it will flow better! And I swear that things are going to go at a faster pace from now on!**

**Now, for some reason, I feel I am missing something, or this story is missing something, but I can't put my finger on it :/ Any suggestions?**

**Don't forget to answer my poll please! I'm stuck in two minds about the whole Umbridge detentions thing.- on the one hand, I can't see him NOT getting detentions as it is Umbridge and although he is from the future and is supposedly much wiser, he is still Harry. But then again, because he is wiser, wouldn't he try and avoid them as much as possible? Argh, I don't know!**

**Also, are there any one-shots you would like me to write? Any missing scenes you think I have forgotten, or some scenes from their future timeline that you are curious about and would like me to write? If you want me to write a one-shot, please leave me a review and I'll get to it as soon as I can :D**

**Thanks to all those that have reviewed!**

**Listening To: Hero- Skillet**

**LilMissMoonRay**

**P.S- If you like the 'reading the books' fics, check out:-**

'**The Truth Behind Past and Future: Harry Reads' by Eleanor89 and**

'**Harry Potter Characters Reads the HP and DH' by Yukikiralacus**

**Now, in the words of a politically obsessed friend of mine, PEACE AND LOVE!**


	8. All Aboard The Hogwarts Express

**A/N: Hello!**

**I'm sorry! I have five words to explain my lateness: "Christmas/shopping", "exams" and "no internet". I don't have to say much more…**

**Many of you hate me for my cliffhangers haha. Let me just warn you now, there will be even worse ones to come as the story goes on! Ye be warned…. ;)**

**As always, thank you so much for all of your reviews and suggestions. I'm sorry that I couldn't answer any of them, but I will try harder in the future! I take everyone's suggestions seriously and they are always on my mind when I write this story- I may use your idea, or a variation, but it may not always happen. They are all there though, written in a list for me! (No joke, I actually have a spotty book that has a big list in it about this story!)**

**Last chapter, I asked if anyone wanted me to write any one-shots linked to this story universe (key scenes you think I've missed or anything from their original future that you wanted to know about) and quite a few people have asked me to write about Harry and Ginny getting back together after the war. That is in the works and should be uploaded soon.**

**Any other one shot ideas? Send me a review!**

**Now lets find out what that other letter was about, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Harry Potter series. That all belongs to the fabulous J.K Rowling and she deserves all of the credit. I only own the plotline and a yellow duck soap on a rope :D**

**Listening To: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

All Aboard The Hogwarts Express

Later that night, Harry and Ginny lay in each others arms as they stared at the canopy above their bed. They were silent as they lost themselves in their own thoughts, thinking about tomorrow and their future. These thoughts had flittered about like butterflies in their minds but they were always pushed aside to make room for positive thoughts. When they were alone from everyone else however, they allowed those thoughts to roam free and stew in their minds, creating a heavy silence that flattened their souls.

Ginny sighed as she snuggled further into Harry's arms. "We're going back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Yeah."

They were silent again as images of their past flashed behind their eyes: the shredded tapestries that hung forlornly against the shattered brickwork that made up the halls and walls, the blood that stained the once-enchanted surfaces as a reminder of those who had spilled it, the scorch marks on every surface, the streaks of dead, burned grass that showed the horrors that once stood upon it and the Great Hall, filled with still, silent bodies as people crumpled with grief around their fallen loved ones….

Harry's grip on his wife tightened as they both shivered.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked after a moment. She wasn't facing Harry as he had her pulled comfortingly and tightly against his chest though that didn't mean that she didn't feel him stiffen in worry. She rubbed her hand along one of his arms as she waited for him to speak.

"I'm not sure, Gin. So much can change or go wrong." He frowned in the darkness, his mind going over everything he remembered from his fifth year at Hogwarts. Just because they knew what was originally going to happen didn't mean that things would go exactly as they had before. As Hermione had told them, they had already changed their future so much just by being here. What if everything went wrong? What if for some reason, they lost control? What if they failed to destroy the lost diadem Horcrux? What if they couldn't make the Ministry see the truth? What if Voldemort got hold of the prophecy? What if Sirius died?

Those questions swarmed around in his head like the birds Hermione had once sent at Ron; they twittered around his brain, demanding his attention all of the time. He sighed again and buried his head in Ginny's flaming hair.

"We can't keep on worrying about it, Harry," she whispered to him as she tilted her head slightly in an attempt to look at him. "If we keep on questioning everything in our heads, then we'll just drive ourselves insane."

"What can we do, though? We don't know for sure what is going to happen! What if we mess it all up?" he argued back with her, his voice slightly muffled by her hair. She sighed silently as she shifted around in his arms so she was facing him- which was not an easy feat considering how close they already were and the fact that her baby bump stuck out slightly. When she struggled to properly turn around Harry chuckled quietly and helped her before folding her in his arms and tucking her head underneath his chin. She smacked him half-heartedly at his amusement, but soon burrowed further into him causing both of them to sigh contentedly.

"We have a rough idea of what is going to happen," she began to explain, "So I say we just go with the flow. Besides, if we plan things then it's all going to go wrong, especially with your luck!"

"Hey! It's not that bad!" he protested. She just snorted in response. "So we just wait and see what happens?"

"Sort of. We should play it by ear." she shrugged in his arms as she stared into his worried eyes. "Things are going to change and we don't quite know what. We just need to go with it."

Harry stared at her for a moment before a small smile crept up on his face. "When did you become so wise?"

She grinned at him. "I was always wise- you were just too dim to notice." he laughed at her response and she hugged him closer.

"Don't worry so much, Harry. We'll tackle the toad together, and we'll win, just as we did before."

Harry sighed happily before he lowered his head to hers, his lips brushing softly against hers before they moulded together slowly and lovingly.

"I love you," he murmured to her as he pressed a kiss to her nose.

"Really?" Ginny whispered as she kept her eyes closed, feeling his lips brush softly against her cheek. "How much?"

"Oh, very, very much." he promised her as he pulled her closer to him so he could show her just how much his heart sang for her.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

A few hours later and Harry was still awake with Ginny curled into his side, her soft breathing tickling his skin as his hand ghosted down her spine. The talk they had had a few hours earlier had alleviated his fears somewhat but he still worried.

So much could go wrong and he didn't like the feeling that he could be taken by surprise. Sure, he hadn't known what was going to happen the last time around but now that he had the knowledge that he did, the fact that it could all go drastically different unnerved him.

He looked down at the person sleeping next to him and he couldn't help but smile. The last time he was fifteen he had pretty much ignored Ginny and they never spent anytime together. True, it wasn't entirely his fault- after all, how can you have a conversation with someone who constantly ran away after a few words?- but his heart still ached when he thought about it. Many a time over the years he had wished that he had noticed Ginny sooner, had noticed how beautiful she was with her pale skin and adorable freckles, her fiery red hair and her sparkling brown eyes…

He had never been very good at showing his affections after living in a house where the only time he was willing touched by others was when they wanted to cause him pain. He had always been wary of any kind of touch from people since then- the hugs from Hermione and Molly always left him feeling a little uncertain and trapped, and the occasional hand on his shoulder had caused him to flinch. His reactions were so small that no one noticed them and Harry had been fine, content even, to have as limited physical contact as he could.

Until Ginny that is.

When he had first started going out with her he had welcomed her touch, welcomed the way she would intertwine her fingers with his, welcomed the way she would occasionally run her hand through his hair, welcomed the way she would cuddle close to his side, welcomed the way her lips would caress his… Those small touches felt safe to him and made him feel at ease; he had loved every moment of it, even though he never realised it at the time.

Then Dumbledore had died. His stomach still twisted as he thought about when he had broken things off with her. He had felt like a cloud had hung instantly over him, like a permanent Dementor reserved just for his personal use. At the time he didn't understand why it hurt so much- he was only breaking up with someone he had been going out with for a few weeks, it shouldn't have felt like his heart was being twisted by a cold, merciless claw… That sickening feeling had lasted throughout the rest of the year when he had constantly been on the run, hiding from Voldemort and the rest of the wizarding population with a price on his head. He had found himself immersed in watching her name move across the Marauder's Map, hoping that she was safe, that she somehow knew that he was thinking of her and wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and never let her go again…

The intensity of those feelings had scared him yet he welcomed them as much as he had welcomed her. When they had finally gotten together after they had put their ghosts to rest after the war, he had felt so complete and so incredibly thankful that she could take him back after what he had done, after he had practically threw all of her affections back in her face. He had vowed to her and to himself that he was never letting her go again. And he hadn't.

Even when the media constantly hung around him, even when he was going through his Auror training, even when he had to go away on reconnaissance missions, even when they argued about the lack of time they spent together he had held on to her and held on tight. He proposed in an embarrassingly awkward way, he had married her in a ceremony he had never truly wanted just to make sure she was completely happy and he tried to make her happy each and every day they were together. He'd be damned a million times over if he was going to stop that now. So what if they had been sent back in time? So what if he no longer knew what his future could possibly hold? He still had Ginny and now a child, _his child_, by his side- two people who he can hold onto and love forever. No one was going to take that away from him, not now and not ever.

He looked down at his wife once more and slid back beside her. Her features were scrunched up in an adorably childlike way and his heart swelled with love as he brushed some of her hair from her face. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, revelling in the warm she provided as his mind slowly started to drift off…

A moment later, however, his peace was shattered as his head jerked slightly off his pillow with the force of a sudden thought: _the letter._

Being very careful not to disturb his sleeping wife, he slowly removed his arms from around her and picked up his wand from the bedside table.

"_Accio letter,_" He whispered as Ginny grumbled slightly next to him and moved closer to his side. The folded piece of parchment slid with the slightest rustle from the pocket of the jeans he had worn earlier before zooming swiftly towards him. He caught it in midair and slowly began to open it.

He couldn't believe he had forgotten all about it! He hadn't been able to read it earlier as everyone had been roped into another last minute cleaning of the rooms and then he had been forced to start packing his trunk with Ginny. The hustle and bustle of the occupants of the house had made him forget that he had slipped the extra parchment away from prying eyes earlier at the kitchen table; the letter had been carefully concealed within the envelope of the Ministry letter and that alone caused his instincts to flare- whoever had sent the letter had only wanted it to be for his eyes.

Slightly worried about who within the Ministry would send him a letter, his eyes darted across the page, taking in the painstakingly neat handwriting and the content of the letter.

Finishing with the flourished signature at the end, he let out a breathless chuckle of disbelief as the meaning of the words began to sink in. He carefully folded the letter up again before waving his wand and banishing it away. He then placed his wand on the bedside table before sliding down again next to Ginny and pulling her closer to him.

With a triumphant smile on his face, Harry Potter finally fell asleep, ready to face whatever the new future threw his way with his wife and child by his side.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

_Dear Harry Potter,_

_I suspect that you are quite surprised to be receiving a letter from me, especially considering how our last meeting went. I also apologise for the secrecy of the delivery of this letter; I felt it would be better if we could keep this between ourselves. It was merely luck that Madam Bones asked me to personally send off an official letter to you._

_You are probably wondering why I am contacting you- you may have offered me the option of asking for your help, but I cannot be sure if you truly meant it._

_In the time between our meeting near the courtrooms, I have become aware of a few things within the Ministry itself that has concerned me. Your words from that day have stuck with me and I feel that you are the only one I can turn to for help, Harry._

_I have seen decent and hardworking people be fired over minor disagreements and incompetent employees have been put into prestigious positions, based on the Minister's recommendations. Quite obviously this has concerned me, and I relayed my concerns to Minister Fudge. I can imagine you can guess how well that went._

_I have been such a fool, Harry. I have thrown away my family for the chance to better myself. I have put myself in an environment where I have to mind my tongue and manners if I wish to remain- an environment I was blind to before you forced me to see the truth. I can see the corruption in the Ministry slowly seeping through around me, and I do not know what to do._

_I will surely be fired soon. Not too long ago, I would have been devastated, but now it seems as some sort of blessing. I now realise how arrogant I have truly been._

_I wish to ask you for your help, Harry. I wish to reunite with my family, to apologise to my mother, my father and my siblings. I am not as optimistic as you and I am quite sure that I will not be allowed that chance unless I have your help. I know I have not treated you fairly and I am sure you have heard terrible things about me lately, but I am desperate. I should never have thrown my family away and I regret it._

_I understand if you do not wish to bother your time with me, but I sincerely hope you will allow me the chance to show how truly sorry I am._

_If you feel you cannot help me, then I thank you, Harry- I thank you for opening my eyes and making me see what a fool I am before it became too late._

_Your Sincerely,_

_Percy Weasley._

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

"And you're sure it'll be safe?"

"Yes, Mrs Potter. It will be quite safe."

"And people won't notice?"

"No, Mrs Potter. People shall not notice."

Harry smiled fondly at his wife as she stood in front of Dumbledore with her hands on her hips and her lip being chewed off by her teeth. Dumbledore was smiling serenely at her and the rest of the family and Sirius and Remus were either smirking or chuckling under their breath.

"And it will-"

"Ginny," her mother interrupted her, "Professor Dumbledore can't say much more than he already has. The spells he has placed on you will be just fine. Now why don't you calm down and eat something before we have to leave for the train station?"

The soon-to-be mother threw her parent an irritable look before huffing and falling back in place next to a smirking Harry. She ignored his look and pulled her bowl of porridge and a plate of sausages towards herself.

"I just want to make sure this will work," she muttered to herself just loud enough for everyone to be able to hear her. "I feel weird and it best be worth it."

"I assure you Mrs Potter, no one shall notice any evidence of your growing child, nor shall any harm come to it." Dumbledore reassured her once more with a small smile on his lips. He had not long ago placed the protective spells on the young woman's ever noticeable bump and she had been fretting ever since. No matter how much he reassured her, he knew that she would not truly relax until she was surrounded by her peers and could clearly see that no one would notice her pregnancy. He cast one last look at the young couple and chuckled under his breath at what he found; Harry was sat next to his wife, a disgusted look on his face as he watched her eat spoonful after spoonful of what seemed to be porridge with a few pieces of sausage mixed in. No one else batted an eyelid at her choice of breakfast so the old man assumed that it was a common occurrence.

"Excuse me, Professor," Dumbledore was jolted out of his thoughts as he heard Hermione address him. "I was just wondering why you chose those two spells in particular."

He smiled at the teenager as he answered her, aware that most of the other occupants were listening as well.

"Well my dear, they seem to be the most effective for something as complex as this," he began to explain. "The notice-me-not charm will be sufficient enough to make people unaware of Mrs Potter's pregnancy for they will see nothing out of the ordinary. That is to say, they will of course see the evidence, but their minds will simply be unable to process and grasp the fact that Ginevra is several months pregnant. It will appear to be a small detail that is beneath their proper notice."

"So the charm will simply allow them to dismiss what they are seeing from their mind?" Hermione asked in a way that showed she was simply clarifying the point she had grasped. Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"Correct, Miss Granger. The repelling charm that I have added as well is a variation of the muggle-repelling charm and works in a very similar way- it will cause anyone who isn't affected by the charm- such as the people in this room- to suddenly divert their attention away from Mrs Potter's stomach area and cause them to move away from her. I thought this was a rather good way to alleviate Mrs Potter's fear that someone would inadvertently harm her child." He concluded as he sent a reassuring smile in the red haired woman's way. Ginny smiled back, grateful that the old Headmaster had kept her fears in mind. Molly gently brushed her hand through her daughter's hair and Sirius winked at Harry, who rolled his eyes affectionately.

"See Gin-Gin," Fred teased her, "Everything is going to be just fine."

"So why don't you stop fretting," George added on, "and finish your sausage-porridge."

Ginny merely glared at them as she defiantly spooned another mouthful into her mouth.

"Err, Professor," Ron spoke up, turning red as the Headmaster and the rest of the room turned to look at him. "Why didn't you just use a glamour charm?" Dumbledore smiled encouragingly at him while Remus raised his eyebrows slightly.

"He has a good point, Albus," the werewolf pointed out as he looked expectantly at the old man. He was very aware of the eyes of the other people in the room, especially Harry's gaze- he had not spoken to the younger man since their argument in the kitchen not to long ago. The things that he had said about his own past had worried the Marauder and he had a lot of time to spend thinking about his actions- Tonks was no longer around as much and Sirius just seemed to shake his head at him when he thought he wasn't looking.

Noticing the slightly far off look on the man's face, Dumbledore answered Ron's question and pulled him gently back into the conversation.

"Glamour charms, by nature, are not supposed to last for very long- a few hours at most. If we were to use such a method to disguise Ginevra's pregnancy, then we would have to use multiple glamour charms that would have to be redone every few hours. Given the fact that we are trying to give the illusion that everything is normal, it would not be practical." the old Headmaster explained to the group. "It would also mean that we would not be able to place any protective charms over her as it would weaken the magic and cause it to wear off much quicker than it normally would; after all, a glamour charm can only alter someone's appearance, it cannot physically change the way you are." Hermione nodded along with the information as Ron's eyes widened- he hadn't thought of anything like that, he had just assumed that the Headmaster simply forgot that they were an option.

"As long as nobody recognises that Ginny is pregnant then we will be fine," Harry simply said before he drained the last of his tea. Molly immediately waved her wand and the cup soared into the kitchen sink.

"Everything will be just fine Harry. All Ginevra needs to do is to visit my office every two weeks so I can renew the enchantments," Dumbledore added as he stood up and adjusted his mauve and magenta robes. Harry and Ginny shared a brief glance- with Umbridge hanging around they were going to have to be especially careful.

"Leaving already, Albus?" Sirius asked in a slightly bitter tone. Remus shot his friend a look, knowing that the man's surly attitude was because of Dumbledore's refusal to let the ex-convict escort them to the train station in his dog form.

"Yea, Sirius. I have some pressing matters to attend to at the school. I shall see you all at the welcoming feast." and with a twirl of his flamboyant robes, the Headmaster was out of the kitchen and then out of the house.

"Well then, if you're finished you can get your trunks ready in the hall. We don't want to be late," Molly said as she turned to the sink to wash up. The twins rolled their eyes at her back before standing up and leaving the room. Ron grabbed the plate full of sausages and pilled a few more onto his plate, ignoring Hermione's pointed look. Harry squeezed Ginny's hand briefly before standing up and walking towards the quietly conversing Marauders.

"Sirius?" he asked causing his godfather's head to turn up to look at him. "Can I have a word with you? In private?"

"Sure, kiddo," he smiled before he stood up and, with a meaningful look towards the werewolf, he walked towards the kitchen door.

Harry went to follow him but paused briefly to touch Remus' shoulder reassuringly and briefly whisper in his ear.

"I'm not mad, Remus. Just make sure you don't keep her waiting long, she won't be around forever."

Ignoring the surprised look on his old teacher's face, Harry followed his godfather into the living room.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

"You okay?" was the first thing that Sirius said as the living room door shut after them. Harry sighed audibly as he ran a weary hand through his hair; he was pretty sure his godfather wasn't going to like the conversation they were about to have and neither was he to be honest. Deciding to get it out of the way, Harry said what he needed to straight away.

"Don't come with us to Kings Cross." he bluntly stated as he stood by the door. The time traveller watched with a heavy heart as Sirius' face changed from inquiring to purely shocked and then to a worryingly blank expression.

"Oh." was all he said. Harry licked his suddenly dry lips, wishing to hell that he didn't have to have this conversation. But when had the fates ever been kind to the Boy-who-Lived.

"I know it would be a good opportunity for you to get out of the house and stuff, but it could also put you in danger," Harry started to explained. He only got so far before Sirius began to brush off his words.

"I'll be in my dog form, it'll be fine," he shrugged as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the fireplace, his entire stance screaming defiance and forced nonchalance.

"No, it won't be fine," Harry carried on in a slightly exasperated tone- Sirius was already withdrawing away from the conversation and he wished that he would grow up enough to hear him out before he spat his metaphorical dummy out of the pram. "You'll be seen and recognised, Sirius."

Sirius snorted. "Oh yeah? By who?"

"Lucius Malfoy-"

"So? What can that Death Eater do about it?" Harry gritted his teeth together for a brief moment before he attempted to carry on explaining.

"It's not like I don't want you to come-"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really! It's too dangerous, Sirius! Please, stay inside the-"

"Stay inside this place?" Sirius barked out a disbelieving laugh. "Of course, it's not like I've got nothing better to do. I've gotten quite good at being stuffed in here."

Harry frowned. "Sirius you know I don't mean it like that. I understand-"

"You? Understand? You've never been locked away, have you?" Harry opened his mouth but Sirius carried on over him as he pushed away from the wall, his face stony. "Don't worry about it, Harry. Just go off to school, I'll see you later."

Harry sighed yet again as Sirius moved towards the door, his whole demeanour strained and faked to make it seem like he wasn't bothered by their conversation though the raven haired teen knew his words had hurt him deeply.

"Sirius-"

"James wouldn't have minded." Sirius bit back at him as he opened the door. "Pity you aren't more like him."

And with that the depressed Marauder left the room, leaving a deeply hurt and frozen stiff Harry.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

They made it to the train station and onto the Hogwarts Express with no fuss or worries. Ginny had significantly relaxed once she saw that no one was gaping or pointing at her stomach and spreading gossip and she soon had a smile on her face, despite the downcast expression she saw on her husband's face. She didn't know whether it was because of his talk with Sirius this morning or if it was because of the whispering that had followed him since they had gotten on the train. Hermione and Ron had left for the prefect carriage as soon as they had boarded the train, leaving Harry and Ginny to spot Neville outside a compartment containing a familiar blonde haired girl.

"Hello Luna," Ginny greeted cheerfully as she opened the compartment door and dragged in her feather-light trunk. Harry put it up on the rack for her as soon as he walked in, a nervous Neville following him uncertainly. "This is Harry and Neville. Guys, this is Luna Lovegood, a friend of mine."

Harry smiled gently at his old friend- in the would-have-been future anyway- as he said Hello. Neville timidly waved.

"Hello Ginevra," Luna dreamily said, her eyes slightly unfocused, her usual butterbeer cork necklace around her neck and her wand behind her ear. "It is a lovely morning, isn't it?"

"Err, I suppose," Harry answered as politely as he could, a fond smile playing on his lips. He had missed Luna and her eccentricities recently; she was truly a great and loyal friend and her way of viewing the world was just what he needed to help him forget about this morning.

Ginny smiled as she lifted her legs onto the seat next to her. "How has your holiday been?"

"Oh, rather good. Daddy and I went to Sweden to look for signs of the Crumple Headed Snorkack. They like the cold you, see." She softly said as she stared absentmindedly out of the window. Neville sent her a baffled expression but seemed too nervous to actually say anything- he kept on giving the strange girl a few cautious looks. Harry hid a snigger and Ginny smiled at her friend.

"How was yours, mate?" Harry asked Neville. He was determined that this year he was going to bring Neville out of his shell a little. The boy had bloomed in to a likeable leader and Harry was unsure if he needed his friend to step up into that role again. He knew Neville could become the same man, he just needed some encouragement.

The shy boy instantly lit up.

"Oh it was great. Guess what I got for my birthday?" He asked. Harry raised an eyebrow teasingly at him as he answered the same as he had last time.

"Another remembrall?"

"No," he replied, not even noticing the slight joke. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago…"

Ginny bit her lip slightly in order to not laugh as she watched her friend brag about his new Mimbulus Mimbletonia. She truly had missed him and seeing him get so excited over a new plant reminded her of when he had first been asked to take over Professor Sprout as the new Herbology Professor, just weeks before they had ended up back to this year. She hoped that things wouldn't change enough to stop Neville from following his passion- he had been so excited when he was asked to take the job and Hannah had told Ginny that he had celebrated for days on end.

"Neville, don't!" Harry's sharp warning snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked around to see Harry's hand enclosed around Neville's wrist as the round faced boy held the end of a quill towards the slightly wriggling plant. Slightly confused, she watched what was happening.

"Don't worry, Harry, it will only do something to protect itself…" Neville began to explain as he looked at Harry wide-eyed.

"Yeah, but…" Harry began as he tried to come up with a reason to stop Neville from prodding the plant; he did not want a face full of sap. "It looks like ti might burst any second and I don't want to be covered in any plant insides…."

Despite the fact that his excuse was pitiful and he had trailed off at the end, Neville nodded and put down the quill and the plant. Harry sighed out a breath of relief as Ginny giggled next to him, causing him to glare playfully at her.

None of them noticed a certain Asian Ravenclaw stop by the door and narrowed her eyes at the much-too-cosy (in her opinion) pair.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The children had left to go to Hogwarts hours ago and during that time Sirius had holed himself up in his room. Molly had gone back to the Burrow to check up on things and it was only Sirius and Remus in the house. Remus knew better than to ask what Sirius what was wrong and so he didn't say anything as his old friend emerged back into the kitchen at tea time.

"There's something on the table for you," he pointed out as he sipped his tea, his eyes never leaving the copy of the newspaper that was spread out before him. Sirius grunted in acknowledgement as he sat down with his own cup and reached for the folded piece of parchment. On the front was his name written in the familiar scrawl of his godson. He swallowed against the feelings that gathered in his chest and throat as he opened his letter; he had spent hours thinking over their conversation this morning and he knew that he should have behaved the way he had nor should he have made that comment about James. By the time he had calmed down and wanted to apologise to Harry, they had already left for Hogwarts.

Wondering what reprimand the letter contained, Sirius read. Instead of feeling chastised, however, Sirius found his guilt and sorrow mounting as he read Harry's words.

_Sirius,_

_Don't worry about this morning. I know you didn't mean to say what you did, you were just annoyed at being asked to stay inside. Being cooped up isn't good for you and I know that it will make you more reckless. I didn't mean to hurt you or make you angry earlier, I just knew what would happen if you came along this morning._

_Don't even bother apologising, there is nothing to forgive. But if you could do me two favours, I will greatly appreciate it._

_Send me the mirror that you were going to give me for Christmas. It'll make talking to each other easier this year as things are about to get more difficult very soon. Don't ask because I won't tell._

_Don't try to floo me either- you'll get us both in trouble._

_I'll see you soon,_

_Harry._

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A/N 2: There you go! Off to Hogwarts!**

**Oooo, Cho doesn't seem best impressed! More on that later!**

**Before anyone comments or asks, I am aware that Ginny is supposed to be dating Michael Corner at this point in the timeline and that will be addressed in the next chapter, I promise! I have a plan, my friends, so do not fret!**

**You finally know how Ginny's bump is going to be hidden- what do you think? A reviewer asked me not to use glamour charms and I agreed with them, so I came up with this. Do you like it?**

**How was Luna? In character? I don't quite remember how their actual train conversation went on, so I just kind of made it up….**

**And you finally know who the letter was off :P Bet you didn't expect that ;) I hope I got Percy in character. Please let me know if he wasn't!**

**The last part of the first scene makes me squirm haha. I have never written anything like that before, nor have I done a sort of fading to black kind of thing haha. First time for everything! I don't even see what I'm so panicky about…. It's practically nothing…. Meh, leave me to it lol.**

**The part where Harry reflects on his feelings about Ginny was done while listening to 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars- that song is the only reason why that part is in there, I actually didn't intend to write that at all. Ah, the power of music! So I am sorry if it is hopelessly romantic and out of character, but I like to think that Harry would have matured since he was a teenager… that's my excuse anyway!**

**Thanks to all of you who have voted on my poll and those who have answered my dilemma with your reviews. The winner was to have Harry have the detentions as he should still stand up for what he believes in. However, many people (it was quite close at one point) voted that he shouldn't have the detentions. So, I have come up with a compromise… that you won't know about until you read it! Haha, I am so evil! I can pretty much guarantee though that you will not see it coming! ;) You're welcome to guess though!**

**I'm slowly going to be editing my previous chapters to hopefully get rid of my many spelling mistakes and hopefully to make the characters seem more in character. The original story line will not change whatsoever, so it won't be necessary for you to go back and read it again as there will only be small and slight changes.**

**Review? Pretty Please? We are at 391 reviews! *looks slightly faint* Blooming heck! Lets see if we can definitely go past 400! ;) And for those who have story alerted and favoured this story- thanks so much! It's greatly appreciated and I would appreciate it even more if you could possibly review…. Even if it's just one word :D I know you're out there haha…**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Listening to: E.T by Katy Perry ft Kanye West.**


	9. Vows and Friendship

**A/N: Yeah, I know. I suck. Big time. What can I say, life's a bitch. I have been admitted to hospital twice and I had an exam to day which could have gone better. On the plus side I had my birthday hehe :P Sorry about the note for the last chapter and this is another reminder to go and check out the start of my one-shots… no, that wasn't a hint at all haha!**

**Now, I have several people to thank and acknowledge for this chapter, so here it goes:**

**To Marie1000- Thanks for your review. It made me look back at the ending to my last chapter and hopefully I have gone more into Harry's feelings about the interaction between him and Sirius. I hope you like it and it makes up for the disappointment!**

**To the anonymous reviewer 'gin bug'- Your review made me smile a whole lot, so thank you very much :D It's not every day you are likened to the great inventor of the Potter universe! **

**To Lightning Eterna- You are actually the whole reason why this first scene is in here. You questioned me on it and I hadn't actually considered it before you asked. It also helped me work out what to do about the housing arrangements for the married couple. Thank you very much! The reactions towards the end of the scene are very vague, but I felt that that was all that was needed. **

**To Dimcairien- You are the one who finally helped me work out how to sort out where to put the married couple when they stay at Hogwarts, so you deserve a big thank you and the acknowledgement!**

**And finally, to all of my lovely reviewers! I love you all! **

**Warning (because I feel I have to): slight swearing towards the end of the chapter. Only a couple of words but I know that some people may get offended by it :D**

**Disclaimer:- I do not own anything to do with the Harry Potter universe- that sole privilege belongs to the fabulous and esteemed J.K Rowling and any recognisable places or characters belong to her. All I own (well, have) is a very cool 80 year old great-grandmother who has some serious bling! (she has a glittery walking stick and tiara!)**

**Listening To: Titanium- David Guetta ft Sia.**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Vows and Friendship

The quiet babble of hushed conversations reached Albus Dumbledore's ears as he pushed open the door that lead to the staff room. All of the teachers at Hogwarts were surrounding the table, talking to their neighbour and catching up on their summer activities. Only two teachers were immersed in their own worlds- Sybil Trelawney (who could be seen shuffling a deck of cards and muttering to herself) and Dolores Jane Umbridge.

Albus hesitated unnoticeably as he looked at the Ministry employee. Harry and Ginny had warned him that she was going to be hired and that she was going to undermine his authority as well as try to take over the school and, if he was honest with himself, the fact that she was here worried the Headmaster slightly- especially as he was about to divulge some information that she could potentially use to destroy a family. Who knew though, maybe she wasn't as bad as they made out…

"Good Morning," Albus greeted quietly as he walked into the room with a smile fixed on his face. The conversations stopped and some people welcomed him as well.

"It is that time of year again where we welcome back our old students and gain a few fresh minds to teach. I know that you are all very busy preparing for lessons tomorrow, so I shall keep this short-"

"_Hem hem._"

The ridiculously high pitched clearing of a throat cut across Albus' words. He stopped and blinked once before looking around at his members of staff. Most of them sat and looked stunned- after all, nobody had ever interrupted him before. Minerva, however, had turned and glared at someone down the table. Following her gaze, Albus' eyes landed on a short and stout woman who was wearing a fluffy pink cardigan and a large bow in her hair. He resisted the urge to sigh. '_And so it supposedly begins…_'

"Ah, yes. If I may introduce Dolores Umbridge who shall be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Snape (who had so far been sat quietly in the corner) barely repressed the urge to roll his eyes as Umbridge's toad -like face split with a simpering smile while she moved to stand on her feet. It was amazing how small she was considering her height only changed by about an inch from when she had been sitting down.

"Thank you for the introduction, Headmaster," her girlish voice rang out, "I must say that I am somewhat excited to be here. After all, it is not everyday that a person of such a high status in the Ministry of Magic as myself is given the opportunity to help mould the young minds of the next generation and help reform the consequently lax attitude and inappropriate educational style my fellow colleagues have displayed so far."

There was silence for a moment after Umbridge had sat back in her seat and stared at them all with a sickly sweet smile fixed on her face. Albus just blinked at her again. He had to admit that a small part of him had brushed off the Potter's concerns when they approached him on the subject of the Undersecretary and he regretted underestimating the employee; he couldn't comprehend what she had just stated to the entire room.

Severus had merely raised an eyebrow at her and sat back, waiting for the show that he knew was about the begin. McGonagall, he saw when he glanced at her, had her lips set in a straight line and her eyes were narrowed at the short bitch- oops, he meant '_witch_'.

"I beg your pardon?" McGonagall stated in a sharp tone that was usually reserved for a certain set of twins. This time Dumbledore did sigh, but he made no move to stop his Deputy. Umbridge turned her face towards the Scottish witch, a mockingly puzzled look on her face.

"I'm afraid I do not understand your question, Minerva. I believe that I made myself perfectly clear with what I said."

McGonagall swelled in indignation and she spoke with distain. "I heard what you said, Madam Umbridge. I just do not agree with your view on our supposedly lacking style of how we teach the pupils who come to this school."

Most of the teachers in the staff room missed the flickering of a sneer that crossed the toad's face.

"If your teaching methods were deemed to be appropriate and effective, Minerva, then I would not have been appointed by the Minister of Magic himself to such a position. Quite frankly I am astounded that something has not been done before!"

"Nothing has been done before because nothing has needed to be done before!" McGonagall spat out as she drew herself up to her full height. Professors Sinistra, Vector, Sprout, Flitwick and Burbage nodded along in agreement with her while Snape shared a warning glance with Dumbledore.

"Professors," Dumbledore cut across as he saw Umbridge open her mouth to answer back, "I'm sure that you can continue this discussion later as now is not the time. We have much to discuss and very little time in which to do so."

He levelled them both with a stern look and watched as Umbridge's polite mask fell back into place and McGonagall shoot him a defiant glare before continuing.

"Now, as I was saying, before we go on to talk about the news and plans for our subject teaching, I must inform you of a new circumstance that has come up involving two of our students."

"What circumstances?" Sprout asked as Flitwick exclaimed, "Which students?" Though they knew what was going on and who was involved, they did not know what arrangements had been made for the young couple during this school year and they had a role to play.

After sharing a quick look with his potions and transfiguration teachers, Dumbledore looked down at his hands and contemplated his next move carefully. What he was about to divulge had the potential to ruin any carefully laid out plans and pass on more information than was appropriate to ears that would put it to catastrophic use. He had to tread carefully and he knew that the measures he would have to take in order to assure his students' and ward's safety will not be well received by a certain person.

"Before I tell you what the situation is and who it involves, I must ask you to take an oath." he simply stated. The staff around the table shared surprised looks but nodded at him in agreement. They knew that if Dumbledore was asking them for such a thing then the situation must be more severe than they had guessed; after all, making an oath about something was not to be taken lightly.

Of course, there was one member of staff who looked outrage at such a suggestion.

"Excuse me, Headmaster," Umbridge's voice rang out with a slight hint of anger and suspicion. "Do you really think that such a measure is necessary? After all, if the circumstances require such a thing, then the Minister should be informed!"

Dumbledore closed his eyes briefly. This is what he wanted to avoid. They could not have the Minister aware of the Potter's situation, especially in the current political climate. He would no doubt use it to destroy Harry's life and both him and his wife's reputation. Dumbledore also could not keep Umbridge in the dark about the whole thing; she would no doubt become suspicious and inform the Minister that something was going on and that would just lead to trouble. He was short of options and the only one that he could think of that would lead to the least amount of trouble was to include the Undersecretary in the oath.

"I am afraid, Dolores, that such a thing is necessary in order to protect the students involved. I have already obtained permission from their legal guardians and I do not feel that the Minister should be involved as it would only affect the school if it was not handled properly, not the Ministry."

Umbridge's face turned into a ugly scowl. "This has something to do with Potter, doesn't it?" She snarled.

Severus almost snorted; looks like the hag did have some semblance of a brain after all.

Dumbledore ignored her question. "If you do not wish to take the oath, Dolores, then I must ask that you to wait a moment for me to obliviate you before you leave the room."

Umbridge sucked in a sharp breath as she stood up in outrage. Her eyes bulged grotesquely as her flabby mouth dropped open. Though she did not fully approve of Dumbledore's methods, McGonagall couldn't deny that it was satisfying to see the toad splutter incoherently as she was doing.

Flitwick and Sprout shared looks. Things really were serious if the Headmaster was suggesting that they obliviate the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. They may not have known fully what was going on but the two head of houses did understand that Umbridge's presence was not a good omen. Most of the other teachers either shared incredulous looks or resisted the urge to giggle at the look of the stout woman's outraged face; Trelawney merely lay a few cards on the table and didn't seem to have any care for what was going on in the staff room.

Umbridge finally seemed to obtain her voice.

"You… you… How dare you!" she spat out as she seemed to tremble- whether it was with rage or fear, though, was a different question. "Do you know who I am? How dare you threaten me! The Minister will be hearing about this… this… travesty!"

"How could you possibly tell the Minister if you cannot remember what has happened or that anything has happened at all?" Snape drawled out in a patronising tone as he folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at the woman.

Umbridge froze as if it hadn't even occurred to her. Her colourless eyes flashed around the room, looking for allies, but all she found was composed faces that stared expectantly at her. Inside she was panicking. She knew that she would have no choice but to commit to the oath and that would prevent her from telling the Minister. She was absolutely sure that the entire thing had something to do with the Potter brat and she seethed at the thought of him getting let off over something and not being punished- how she longed to punish the little liar! He was a threat to her position at the top of the Ministry and she would do everything in her power to stay there, even if it meant taking a vow of silence. She would find someway to punish the brat without telling the Minister.

With one last glare at the table Umbridge sat down and nodded her acquiescence with a petulant look on her face.

Dumbledore sent her a benign smile before asking that they all take out their wands. He spoke the vow, highlighting the fact that what he was about to tell them could not be spoken about outside of this room or to anybody else or any other being that is not currently in the room with them. They all agreed readily, their curiosity getting the better of them as they watched their wand tips glow golden as the vow was complete.

Dumbledore took yet another deep breath and looked at his hands as he began to explain.

He told them that Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter had come together to form a relationship after creating a bond over past experiences (he told the bare minimal of what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets and neglected to tell them anything about the future) and that their relationship had progressed rather quickly. There were a few gasps and exclamations of surprise as he announced the fact that they were now expecting a child.

"But they are just children!" Charity Burbage cried out in shock. Several people around the table nodded in agreement including professors Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape who were playing the roles of shocked teachers quite well. Snape's sneer was genuine, however.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement with them but expressed the fact that nothing about it could be done and that their main priority at the moment was to keep them both safe from the general populace- after all, they should all know how rumours could spread in a boarding school.

"So what do you expect we should do about it, Dumbledore?" Pomona Sprout spoke up once he had finished speaking. Dumbledore sent her a small smile and looked directly at her though he was answering for the whole room.

"I have requested that the house elves set up one of the reserved family suites that are near the Gryffindor tower; they will be staying in those room for the remainder of the academic year."

"But surely people will notice that she is with child, Dumbledore," professor Babbling pointed out in a quiet voice that the Ancient Runes teacher was well known for. "If our priority is to protect the two from slander and any potential danger that could come to their child, then surely something must be done to uphold those values."

"An excellent point, Bathsheba, and I have already come up with a plan to tackle that issue," Dumbledore commented before falling silent. After a moment of tense silence, Poppy sighed irritably.

"Well, if you would like to tell us what measures you have actually taken, Albus, then that would be a great help." Severus smirked slightly; it appeared that the medi-witch had been spending too much time with Minerva.

"Indeed, forgive me." Dumbledore apologised before he cleared his throat. "I have already been in contact with Miss Weasley and her family and we have agreed that a few charms will help protect her child. We have decided that a simple Notice-Me-Not and repelling charm will be effective."

Nobody spoke as they all took in what they were being told. Septima Vector, however, found another flaw within the plan.

"But what are we going to tell the other students when they realise that Potter and Weasley are not staying within Gryffindor Tower?"

"The official story will be that after a health scan over the summer they were both found to have the beginnings of a currently unknown illness and we wish to minimise the contact they will have with the other students as we do not know if it is contagious, yet we do not want to impair their education."

Poppy raised her eyebrows. "That is actually rather brilliant. The fact that they supposedly have an unknown illness will also mean that they will be able to visit me in the Hospital Wing which will allow me to check on the pregnancy without creating suspicion."

Eventually, all of the teachers seemed to have come around to the idea and vowed to do everything they could to help the two students in any way that they could.

None of them noticed the fact that Umbridge had been silent throughout the entire discussion as she carefully filed away all of the little details for later, a disconcerting and malicious smirk curving the ends of her pasty lips.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Harry sat staring listlessly out of the compartment window of the Hogwarts Express. Neville was crooning to his plant, Luna was reading _The_ _Quibbler _upside down and Ginny had just run off to go to the toilets. Only the occasional scratch of Luna's quill and Neville's mutterings penetrated the otherwise quiet room, allowing Harry to get lost in his thoughts.

Sirius' words to him echoed throughout his head. '_James wouldn't have minded… Pity you aren't more like him…_'

Despite what he had written in the brief letter he had left for Sirius those words had greatly hurt him. Yes, he had understood why Sirius had lashed out at him but he couldn't believe that he had said that to him.

'_Pity you aren't more like him._'

It was at times when Sirius acted like he had this morning that Harry temporarily agreed with Molly; did Sirius actually see him as Harry, or was he like Snape and only saw James? His mind instantly replied with a negative- of course Sirius didn't think of him as his father! He loved Harry for Harry, his godson. Still, he couldn't deny that the occasional reprimand and likening to his father that Sirius had said to him (the first time round as well as the present day) caused his stomach to churn in shame, hurt and a touch of anger. He wasn't entirely sure who the anger was directed at- was it at Sirius for saying what he did, or for comparing him to his father when they are two separate people? Or was the anger aimed at himself for feeling ashamed at the fact that he wasn't like his father?

He sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. It was so confusing! The hurt and slight betrayal he could understand but the rest was anyone's guess. Why was he filled with shame at his godfather's words? Was he was ashamed because he wasn't like his father? Did he feel he let people down by not being who they wished him to be- a carbon copy of the man who had given his life for him and his mother? Or did he feel it because he had pushed Sirius to say such things to him?

While one half of his mind agreed with the many questions in his head, another part of him rose with indignation. It wasn't his fault that Sirius had said what he did. He didn't exactly ask for it! And who cared if he wasn't like his father? James Potter was dead and Harry was his own person. He had always tried to make his parents proud of him, to show the world that their sacrifices were not in vain, but that didn't mean that people couldn't see him for what he was.

"Trevor, no!"

Neville's shout interrupted Harry's thought process and he looked up, somewhat startled, to see his bumbling friend leap off his seat and flee from the room, shouting to his wayward toad as he did so.

Harry couldn't help but let out a shout of laughter as he shook his head; that toad had some serious boundary and obedience issues. The amount of times he had found the pet in the most random of places…

"I think Trevor has been infected with Nargles." Luna pointed out dreamily. Harry looked over at the waif of a girl to see her looking directly at him, her clear blue eyes unblinking. Though he had been used to this stare when he was older, Harry couldn't help but squirm in his seat as her gaze seemed to penetrate his soul. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I just think he likes to run away, if I'm honest Luna." he answered her kindly. Luna nodded absentmindedly.

"That would be the Nargles- they make your brain go all fuzzy, you see," she responded. Her gaze never wavered from Harry and he found that he couldn't really look away.

"Oh."

She nodded at him again though it was a more precise this time. "You've been infected too. Your head is full of them."

Harry couldn't help his chuckle; that had been such a Luna thing to say.

"Really? How can you tell?"

"You were looking a bit blank, like something was troubling you." Harry smiled at her again. Though her expression changed minimally, the slight crease in her eyebrows and the tilt in her head told him that she was genuinely concerned. He shook his head and looked towards the window again. He didn't feel up to explaining it all to the younger girl.

"Is it because of your baby?"

The innocent question instantly made him freeze as though he had been petrified. A thick silence hung over them as Harry slowly turned his head to look back at her. Her eyes were as they normally were- slightly wider than usual- and her lips curled into a soft and faint smile. Harry gazed at her emotionlessly for a moment before he slumped as though in defeat. He should have known that they wouldn't be able to keep anything from Luna- she was too observant for her own good and she tended to see things that normal people missed. Though how she had suspected this he did not know. Was he happy that's he knew? He supposed so. After all, another ally could help them cover it better and he knew that Luna would not tell anyone about it. On the other hand, if Luna could figure it out, does that mean that someone else might too?

He mentally shook his head at that; no, he was pretty positive that no one else would figure out. As he had already acknowledged, Luna was one of a kind and had the uncanny ability to know things that others ignored. If he was honest he wouldn't be surprised if she could actually see through the charms that Dumbledore had cast around Ginny's baby bump. He smiled to himself as he focused once again on the girl in front of him who still looked as casual and dreamy as ever; o, he was not worried or surprised or upset that Luna knew their secret- it just meant that it would be one less person that they would have to lie to.

He chuckled ruefully. "Yes, I do worry about my baby."

Luna's smile brightened. "Don't worry, Ginny will take good care of it. I'm told her womb is quite inhabitable and safe." Harry raised an eyebrow at the last bit but thought it safer to remain quiet and not ask about it.

"That's good to know. So you know that me and Ginny are together then?" If she knew about the baby then it stood to reason that she would know about the two of them being a couple. Neither Harry or Ginny were the kinds to have one night stands after all, especially at the ages that they were currently at. The look Luna gave him was the most normal he had seen on her face in a long time. He had the urge to apologise to her for somehow insinuating that she was obtuse (even though he clearly hadn't mean to and wasn't even fully sure if he had).

"Of course I know that you are married," she said in a way that made it seem as though it was obvious.

Harry looked at her through his eyelashes as he hung his head and groaned slightly. He really should have known. Luna sat with the same blank look on her face.

"You're not from here, are you?" she continued. Harry's head snapped up at this, his neck cracking loudly as he stared at her in shock. He felt slightly dizzy; how on earth did she know that? How on earth could she see through everything, through every lie and illusion that they had put forth in order to prevent anyone from finding out the truth? Was there anything she did not know or guess? It was a good thing that the time traveller was sitting down.

"How did you know?" he whispered. Luna shrugged.

"The Humdingers told me."

Harry looked at her blankly for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. Luna looked confused but he paid her no mind for a moment; if he didn't laugh, he would cry.

After a few moments his laughter died down to a low chuckle. "Thanks Luna. I needed that. I'm glad you know, it takes a weight off my mind."

Luna's frown became more pronounced. "Doesn't it bother you that I know?" Harry was shaking his head with a grin before she even finished her sentence.

"No, it doesn't." they both sat in silence for a moment, their eyes locked on one another. Luna's head tilted even more to the side as her eyes cleared slightly to become sharper than her usual dreamy look.

"Why?"

Harry said nothing for a moment as he looked gently at his companion. "Because you're my friend, Luna."

The younger girl blinked twice before her small face split with a breathtaking smile. Harry had only ever seen that smile on her face twice in his life and it only appeared when she received news that was glorious to her.

"I've never had a friend before. It's quite nice."

"Well, now you'll always have one, won't you?" they shared one last smile before turning back to what they were doing before; Luna with her magazine and Harry to looking out of the window, his thoughts brighter than they were before.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ginny grumbled to herself as she exited the toilets that were situated at the end of the train. Her little James Sirius certainly did her bladder no favours. She could swear that he purposely sat on her bladder whenever she finally got comfy. Why on earth they wanted to name him after Harry's father and godfather she didn't know; it was appropriate though, considering that he seemed to be a prankster already. The Marauders and the twins would be proud.

She carefully began to walk back to the compartment that she was sharing with her friends and Harry, her feet shuffling slightly with the movements of the train. She glanced up a few times to look at the people surrounding her, her stomach churning every time until she saw that they were not in fact looking at her. She sighed in relief- the charms were working.

That had been her biggest fear. She had been so scared that people would notice the fact that she was pregnant. Though her baby bump was not very large, it was still quite noticeable and she didn't think she could deal with the consequences of if people knew she was pregnant.

Don't get her wrong, she loved the fact that she was pregnant. She loved the fact that she and Harry had created someone that they can love forever and care for. She loved the fact that she was going to be a mother and her pregnancy made her feel incredibly proud and good about herself. The reason she had been practically petrified at the idea had nothing to do with her reputation or anything either- she was not that shallow and she personally couldn't give a damn about her reputation (she was a Weasley after all and they were well known and despised for being blood traitors). No, the main reason she had been scared all came down to her future knowledge.

Everything she and Harry did at the moment was plagued by their memories of the future. Though it was rather useful, it was also rather tiring and taxing. She knew that Voldemort was going to move into the open soon and Umbridge was already on the scene. Voldemort… he was pretty self explanatory and for some odd reason, she wasn't so worried about him for the moment. She had fought against him during her first year and she had lived through a war against him. To be honest, he was an old dog with the same tricks. Yes, he shouldn't be underestimated at all-he was a very powerful and intelligent wizard after all- but she had lived through it and she knew that she could get through it again with Harry and her family by her side. No, the main focus of her anguish was Umbridge.

Because she knew what was going to happen, she knew that Umbridge was going to rise in one form or another- she had too much power and political back up for them to just get rid of her; it just wasn't possible or even really feasible. The fact that Umbridge was probably being told right that second about the pregnancy had already set her on edge, if the entire population of Hogwarts was to know as well, then it would only give her more motivation and more incentive to do something drastic and harmful towards her baby while ruining her and Harry's lives even more in the progress. Well, ruin them more than just taking away their child.

Her arms tingled as she forcibly and consciously kept her self from wrapping them protectively around her swollen stomach at the thought of her baby being taken away from her. Now she was starting to see why her mother had always been overprotective and slightly over bearing with them all.

Her arm twitched and she carefully looked around. Still, nobody was watching her. If they were and they asked why she looked like she wanted to curl up into a protective ball then she would just pretend that she had period pains… that started just under her ribs…

She snorted to herself. '_Brilliant Ginny,_' she thought to herself. '_Maybe pregnancy also got rid of your ability to lie perfectly and effectively as well as the control you used to have over your bladder…_'

"Ginny?"

The sudden sound of a voice calling her name made her jump slightly and stumble backwards against the wall of the train as it lurched on the track.

"Whoa, are you okay babe?" the male voice said as it got closer to her. She stayed slumped against the wall, tightly gripping the thin window ledge as her brain froze and her breathing began to pick up. She recognised that voice instantly and suddenly wished that she had decided to revert back to nappies instead of going to the toilet.

'_Shit! Shit!_'

How could she have forgotten? How on earth had he slipped her mind? He should have been the very first thing that she considered when they came back into this time frame! After all, the last time she had gone through this year, he was a pretty large part of her life. How could she have been so stupid?

Ginny slowly looked up, holding her breath, until her dazed eyes fell on a tallish boy in Ravenclaw robes. His hair was black and fell somewhat lankly to his shoulders

Michael.

Her previous ex-ex boyfriend who was technically still her current boyfriend even though she was now married to Harry who was her future husband and father of her child and was stuck having to act as just her boyfriend.

Yeah. Things weren't about to become complicated at all…

"Hey," Michael said as he stood a bit closer, a frown on his face. "you need a hand up?"

Blinking a few times as she willed her mind to unfreeze, Ginny watched with rising panic as he started to walk towards her, his hand outstretched and a smirk that he seemed to find attractive on his face. She scrambled to her feet, but stayed against he wall of the train. She couldn't help but cringe slightly as he got nearer and nearer to her…

Michael's face suddenly went slack when he was two steps away from her as he stopped briefly before taking a few large steps back. Ginny watched with bated and confused breath as he slowly shook his head before turning his somewhat hazy eyes on her.

"Sorry, Ginny. Sudden dizzy spell, I guess." he smiled at her again. Ginny gave him a shaky one back as she silently sent a thank you to Dumbledore and his skill in charms; it looked like the repelling charm worked like a dream.

"Oh, that's okay Michael. I'm fine now anyway, you just startled me." she answered him as she forced a relaxed smile on her face. Inside she was far from the calm she portrayed. How on earth was she going to explain all of this to him without actually explaining anything?

He smiled at her again. "I was waving to your through the window."

"Oh, were you? Sorry, I didn't notice," she giggled nervously as her eyes darted down the corridor. She was immensely uncomfortable and Michael frowned deeper at her as he took in her tense stance.

"Ginny? Are you sure you're okay?"

Ginny looked down at the floor briefly. She had to talk to him right now and somewhat explain the situation. Or at least break up with him. It wouldn't be fair on either Harry or Michael if she pretended to stay with the Ravenclaw; not only would she feel like she was betraying Harry, but he would be acting all understanding about it and that would be worse than if he reacted angrily.

She let out a huff of air and ran her fingers through her long hair. This was not going to be fun.

"Michael, I think we should go somewhere private," she suggested gently as she watched his face. She expected him to already guess what she wanted to say and get angry or rejected or something. Instead, his smile turned into a cocky smirk as he crossed his arms and leered at her slightly. Ginny had to use all of her self control not to openly recoil. What on earth had she seen in him?

"Well, I never knew you were that kind of girl, Weasley," his voice was full of suggestion.

"No!" she burst out as her eyes widened in disgust. "No, I just need to talk to you!"

He rolled his eyes slightly at her. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?" Ginny fidgeted.

"Well… I think we need to talk about… u-us." she managed to get out. Inwardly she rolled her eyes; could she be anymore cliché? '_I think we need to talk about us_'. How original.

Well, at least Michael finally clicked on things. That's what she assumed his suddenly harsh expression meant, anyway.

"I see." he stated in a clipped voice. His eyes were blank and his jaw jutted out a bit in defiance and anger. "I take it this is why I didn't hear from you all summer."

She flinched at the statement. She also distinctly remembered having a similar conversation the first time round, though she didn't think that it would go as smoothly this time.

"My family went away this summer and I wasn't allowed to use Errol because my mum said that the journey to and fro may kill him."

Michael snorted as he looked away from her. "Sure."

His brush off of her rather valid answer caused her Weasley temper to flare. "It's true Michael." he turned and looked back at her, his brown eyes cold as he sneered slightly at her.

"Sure, I believe you, but we both know that your family owl isn't the reason why you wanted to talk to me."

"No, it's not." she sighed. She rubbed her hands over her face and stayed silent as someone walked past them. How was she supposed to explain things to him? She couldn't exactly tell him that she had the mind of a 22 year old and she only looked as thin as she had done because of some clever wand work. She knew that the whole school would know about her and Harry soon enough and that it would only just makes things worse if he found out about them in a few day, so she decided to embellish the truth slightly (okay, mostly).

"When me and my family was away, Harry was with us and-" she was cut off by a derisive shout of laughter from Michael.

"Potter. Should have known that this would have something to do with him."

"W-we were alone a lot… and it just….we…." Ginny trailed off as she heard what she was saying. That had to have been the most pathetic excuse she could have come up with. What was wrong with her today? She was acting like Parvati and Lavender with the whole 'We need to talk, it just happened' routine. Hermione would be laughing her skirt off if she was here.

"Cut the shit, Ginny." Michael kind of snapped at her. "Everyone in this school knows that you have been waiting for the day when the Boy-Who-Lived would finally notice you and we all knew that you would drop whatever and whoever to be seen clinging to his side."

Ginny gaped at him with her eyes wide. This definitely was not going smoothly. And did people really think that of her? Surely not. Michael was making her out to seem-

"It's beyond desperate, it's pathetic." he carried on. His arms had dropped down to his side and his hands were balled into fists as he glared at her. His mouth spat the words out to her and she seemed unable to move at all. "But if you want to be that person then fine. I feel better knowing that you'll soon get bored of him and jump to the next person. Silly little girls like you always do."

Those last accusations finally snapped Ginny out of her shock. Her anger rose fiercly as she stood up straight from the wall and glared at him, her cheeks reddening in a blush that normally acted a warning signal for the people who angered her.

"Who do you think you are?" she shouted at him, causing the people in the carriages nearest to them to peer cautiously and curiously through the glass windows of the doors. "How dare you accuse me of being a… a what? A slut? Suddenly I'm some kind of gold digger cow who jumps from one guy to the next just because I don't want to be known as your girlfriend anymore? I don't think so!"

"Well you jump from me pretty quickly, didn't you?" he questioned as his voice began to rise to match hers.

"Because I love Harry!" she shrieked back at him.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really!"

"Hey!"

They both turned from their glaring to see the person who had interrupted them standing a few feet from them, their arms folded authoritarian like and a stern look on their face.

"Potter. I should have known she'd be having you acting like her lapdog soon enough."

Ginny bristled even more and she took a step towards him when a dangerously low voice reached her ears. Looking back at Harry, she saw that he had moved to stand between the Ravenclaw and his wife. The set of his jaw line and his tense posture showed how furious he was. The people in the windows dragged their friends to watch the drama unfold.

"Do you want to say that again?" Harry asked in a deadly calm voice. Michael couldn't help but quail a bit at the icy glare Harry shot at him. However, even though his robes showed the tranquil blue of a Ravenclaw, he seemed to have left his brain behind at home as he once again opened his mouth.

"Yeah, I do. She'll wrap you around her little finger and then drop you the next time her eye wanders."

Harry snarled at him and moved to grab a fistful of his robes when yet another voice cut through the practically frozen, yet electric air.

"OI! Corner! Clear off before I give you detention with Snape!"

Ron had moved swiftly to Harry's side as Hermione wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist. The bushy haired girl could feel the young mum trembling with rage and so she tightened her grip.

Michael turned his sneer onto Ron. "Standing up for your sister I see."

"Yeah, you got that right. Now clear off before I let Harry knock your block off."

Michael locked eyes with each of them before shooting a nasty grin at Ginny. He turned on his heel and walked off, his neck tight with fury.

"Alright, you can stick your necks back in now," Ron called out to all of the people watching through the windows. They quickly scrambled to look like they were doing something while thinking of ways to pass along what had just happened to their friends and dorm mates. "Bloody nosy buggers." Ron muttered under his breath. He turned around to see that Harry had Ginny in a tight embrace and Hermione was rubbing the younger girl's back.

"What was all that about?" he demanded in a aggravated tone. Ginny groaned into Harry's chest as she turned her head to look at her brother. He clenched his jaw as he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Nothing, he just didn't like me breaking up with him for Harry, that's all." she told him as she sent him a small smile. Ron's eyes popped open as his jaw dropped.

"You a-and Michael? Since when?" he exclaimed in shock. Hermione giggled at him as she patted his arm commiserating.

"It happened after the second task last year and we didn't say anything because all of the focus was on the tournament."

Ron opened his mouth to likely protest or to say something stupid but the glares that Harry and Hermione shot him made him gulp.

"Well…. He should learn when to give it up, shouldn't he?" he cleared his throat as he ran his hand through the hair at the back of his neck. Ginny sent her big brother a happy smile as a thanks for the effort he was showing in not jumping down her throat about dating Michael.

"He should learn not to open his mouth at all." Harry growled lowly.

"Who shouldn't open their mouth?" Neville asked in a cautious voice as he and Luna appeared next to them. He seemed to have found Trevor and Luna had a serene smile on her face and her magazine clutched in her hands.

Harry sighed heavily. "It's best not to ask, Neville mate."

Neville nodded while looking warily between the group.

"There are a lot of Nargles on this train today," Luna commented as she began to breeze past them. On her way towards the toilets and through the group, she firmly yet discretely stroked her hand across Ginny's stomach.

"He's going to be beautiful," she whispered to her friend before she skipped off, leaving a shell shocked pair of siblings, a concerned Hermione and a completely baffled Neville.

"Oh yeah. Luna knows." Harry casually said as he fought down his chuckles. "Did I forget to tell you?" Ginny breathed deeply to calm her racing heart.

"I'm going to need a lie down."

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A.N 2: **

**I hate it when people call me babe so I had Michael call Ginny it :/ The word just bugs me for some reason… maybe it's because my ex boyfriend used to call me that all of the time before I broke up with him and discovered that I was gay while he turned into a stalker… hmmmm…. Anyway, Michael may be OOC but because we don't actually know much about him, I figured it would be fine. Plus, he got jealous and arse-y over a Quidditch match, so I imagine he wouldn't take it to well if Ginny appeared to immediately shack up with Harry when she was supposed to be going out with him.**

**I should be able to start updating quicker than I have been… I am sorry it takes me so long. I promise though that I am going to finish this story. I have the ending all planned out, but so far the things I have already planned keep on changing because of my wonderful reviewers hehe. People say something or ask a question and things play out much differently than I expected…..**

**Now, I have a small request:**

**If you see a story that is eerily similar or a carbon copy of this fan fiction, will you please let me know? In the past few weeks I have seen countless of fics that have been plagiarised and people don't seem to be either noticing it or doing something about it. The authors that I contacted to tell them what was happening said that nobody had told them and people had both the original fic and the copied one on their favourites list…. Don't plagiarise people, it's highly offensive and annoying- even if you aren't the one being copied.**

**Random little Harry Potter fact I learned: Did you know that Cho Chang married a muggle man in cannon? I always assumed that she ended up with Michael or someone….**

**Listening To: Lego House by Ed Sheeran (lol at Rupert Grint in the music video! Can never watch it without giggling to myself.)**


	10. Detention With

**A/N: So, I didn't die... excuses will come later on :)**

**About Cho marrying a muggle- yep, it is actually true. Found it on the Harry Potter lexicon. Surprised me too as I had always assumed she married Michael...**

**Chapter 9's announcement has been replaced with an actual chapter in case you didn't know.**

**520 reviews! No way! That's absolutely amazing! Especially since I have only 9 chapters up so far! :O A massive thank you to all of my reviewers and all of the people who have alerted or favourited. You guys are actual legends and I love you all! Sorry if this chapter seems a little boring or slightly off but I am currently winging it and seeing what happens :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with the Harry Potter universe as I am not J.K Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot line and the beginnings of my own novel :)**

**Also, All recognisable text in the end section come directly from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12; Professor Umbridge and belongs to J.K Rowling. I only own the normal text around it. There is quite a lot of it so please read that section over and don't skip it! You will be very confused and disappointed if you do!**

**Listening To: The Hunger Games Soundtrack (great film, I personally thought it did the book justice...)**

**P.S- The awesome moment when you go onto one of your favourite author's profile page and realise they have your story on their favourites list... :P**

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The students at Hogwarts mostly had one view on Neville Longbottom and that view was that he was a bumbling wizard with hardly more magic than a squib. Those views were fuelled by a certain Slytherin student and nobody cared enough to get closer to him to find out what he was really like. The few friendly acquaintances that he did have would express that view in a fond way, coupled with a few comments over his warm and welcoming personality and his love of plants. Some of the even more observant would note that he was extremely loyal and he was always there for people in need. Hardly any of those people could call him stupid though.

Neville knew something was going on with Ginny and Harry. He had noticed how they had sat closely together in the compartment and how they always seemed to be touching. He assumed- and he believed he was right- that they were now a couple, despite Harry's previous feelings for Cho Chang and Ginny's relationship with Michael Corner. In fact, it was the youngest Weasley's relationship with the Ravenclaw that had Neville thinking that there was much more than met the eye.

Ginny had broken up with Michael on the train and it was clear that he was not happy about it. It was also clear that Harry was not happy with how Corner had threatened Ginny- the way that he had seen his dorm mate hover protectively in front of her astonished Neville as he had never really seen Harry act that emotional. Sure, everybody in Hogwarts knew that the Golden Trio would always stand up for each other, but he had always seen Harry as somewhat closed off when it came to emotions. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing but he did not know why his friend was like that and he didn't want to pry. However, the fact that he had such a fierce look on his face when he confronted Michael told Neville that something other than a normal relationship was going on. He also noticed that Luna knew something about it, Ron and Hermione as well, and the Gryffindor couldn't deny that it hurt slightly but he would not ask questions and he would not speak his suspicions to anyone.

He looked around at his friends as they sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as they waited for the sorting to begin: Harry and Ginny were muttering to each other as Harry glared at the Ravenclaw table while Hermione and Ron bickered with each other. Ron rolled his eyes at something Hermione had said to him and Neville couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the glare she gave him. Honestly, how they weren't together yet was a question that circled the school many times...

The chatter of the people around him died down as McGonagall stepped through the doors with the tiny and scared first years trotting along after her. Many turned their heads to watch the sorting but Neville kept his eyes on Harry and Ginny. He saw the tender way that Ginny intertwined her fingers with Harry's and he saw the way that his friend gently kissed her forehead. Just watching them brought a slight smile to his face and he couldn't help but feel happy for them.

No, Neville Longbottom was not stupid and he would not pry; they obviously had a good reason for not telling him everything and he would support them without question. They both deserved to feel secure and safe in their secrets before they inevitably got leaked out and Neville would do anything to help them.

A slight smile on his face, Neville turned to face the sorting hat as it burst into song, not seeing the uncertain look in his friends' eyes, or the calculating look that gleamed on a toad like woman's face.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Harry heard Ginny hiss at him. "Will you act your age, please?"

He turned his head slightly to look at the irate red head that sat beside him before looking back and directing his glare on a certain male Ravenclaw. Ginny breathed out through her nose in irritation.

"Harry!"

"I'm not doing any harm, Gin." Harry answered to her before he continued in a mutter, "yet, anyway."

She slapped his arm and waited for his startled gaze to land on her. "Will you just pack it in! Just forget about what happened on the train-"

"Forget what happened? Ginny, he basically called you a slag!" he moved his head closer to hers, his eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. She glared at him in response.

"Yes, I am well aware of that, thank you very much, but that does not mean you can give him a death glare all throughout dinner! People are already muttering behind your back and you don't need to make it worse!"

That was a very true fact; people had been pointing and staring at him since he had stepped foot on the platform. They didn't seem bothered about lowering their voices, nor their scoffs of disgust. He already knew that the great wizarding populace and his peers would not believe him (at first, anyway) but he had somehow forgotten how tiring and angering the criticism and gossip was in his fifth year had been. He could already feel his nerves stretching to breaking point and it had only been a few hours- it would all be a lot worse tomorrow. His future knowledge and the glare he was receiving in return from Michael promised that.

"Fine," he sighed as he turned to his wife while she took a soft hold of his hand. "How are you at the moment? You still seem stressed."

Ginny let out a large breath of air as she ran her unoccupied hand through her hair. "I'll be okay once we go to our rooms. Where did McGonagall say they were?"

"Eighth door on the left on the seventh floor. She thought we might want to stay somewhat close to the common room. Our stuff is already there." Ginny hummed to herself after he had answered.

"I can't wait to just have a bath and get in bed." The stress of worrying if the charms would drop and people would notice her stomach was beginning to take its toll on her, along with the whispers and the mess with Michael. Harry just pulled her closer to him as the doors to the hall opened and the stern Scottish witch walked through with a line of first years trailing behind her.

"I don't remember being that small," Harry commented to himself as he watched the nervous looks on their faces. Ron couldn't help but snort as he heard what he said.

"Mate, you were way smaller than those midgets when we were in first year."

"Prat," Harry grumbled as he aimed a kick at his best friend under the table. His annoyance rose when Ron merely laughed harder.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her two best friends before turning her gaze towards the staff table. She slowly scanned the people sat there before her gaze finally landed on a short, shout woman in an absurdly pink cardigan.

"Who is that woman?" she asked the others, "I mean it's obvious she's the new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor, but who is she?"

Harry sighed slightly before replying, his own eyes never leaving the toad like woman. "Her name is Dolores Umbridge and she is the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister."

Two shocked faces turned to look at him sharply, standing in contrast to the serene faces around them that watched as the Sorting began.

"The Minister? As in Fudge?" Ron blurted out. Harry merely nodded his head.

"But," Hermione interrupted, a disbelieving look on her face, "But that means that-"

"The Ministry is trying to interfere with Hogwarts? Yeah." Ginny dead panned. Her expression was dark as she watched the toad like woman out of the corner of her eye. Her stomach flipped a little as she noticed the fowl witch was staring at her and Harry intently and she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. Harry noticed and pulled her closer to him, despite not knowing the reason behind her reaction. Before he could ask, however, Ginny continued speaking.

"What's worse is she knows about our... _situation._" The stress she put on the last word emphasised exactly what she meant. Her brother and her best friend's eyes practically popped out of their heads in horror.

"How does she know?" Hermione hissed. The intelligent girl's mind was whirling a mile a minute in panic; how did the Ministry woman find out? If she knew, then who else did? Did Fudge? What was going to happen to Harry and Ginny?

Harry's voice cut across her frantic mental ramblings. "Dumbledore told her and the other staff members this morning. We thought it would be easier for them to know so we would be able to get our new dorm and we wouldn't have to hide as hard from them."

"What'd you tell her for though? Now she can run off to Fudge and tell him what's going on!" Ron raised his voice at them, causing a few of the peers to look at them curiously and the other three to glare at him.

"Do you not think we thought of that? Do you really think we are that stupid?" Ginny spat at him. Ron gaped at her for a minute before his ears burned red and he looked down at the table. He should have known that they would have thought about that.

"Dumbledore had them all take some sort of vow, meaning that they can't talk about it to someone who doesn't already know." Harry explained while his wife continued to shoot daggers at her brother. Hermione bit her lip in worry as she stared anxiously at two of her best friends. An uneasy feeling was beginning to settle in her stomach and she couldn't help but word her concerns.

"I understand why you had to tell them, but this is starting to get dangerous. Too many people know- Us, the Order and now all of the teachers? Too many people are involved now and that makes it more likely for everything to get out!" she kept her voice low and leaned over the table so that they could all hear her if they came close enough. Her brown eyes were slightly wider than usual and she didn't seem to be able to keep them from wandering over to Umbridge.

Harry ran his free hand through his hair as he frowned. This thought had crossed his mind several times and he agreed whole-heartedly with Hermione; too many people did now know what was going on and the more that did, the more his stomach and nerves seemed to constantly twist in a gruesome sort of grim anticipation. Always in the back of his mind was the thought that someone would somehow let the secret slip and then everyone would know about him being from the future, being with Ginny and expecting a child on the way. That would prove to be a disaster as not only would there be gossip flying around quicker than Peeves on a Firebolt, but he was practically certain that the Ministry would step in and do something to either humiliate him, discredit him more or even harm his family- something that he feared with his entire being. Don't even get him started on Voldemort; Old Snake face would probably come out in the open just so he could completely obliterate the entire Potter family, just to make sure that no one could defy him. After all, it wasn't like he had any qualms with attempting to murder a child in the past, is it?

Harry wished that Hermione hadn't opened her mouth. Then he wouldn't have his mind focusing on a topic he desperately tried to forget. He regretted telling as many people as he had. Don't get him wrong, he would have told a few people, mainly Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Hermione and the other Weasley's, because they all had the right to know in their own way. But things had spiralled out of control since they had come here. On the night that they had realised they had come back in time, Harry and Ginny hadn't even batted an eyelid at telling the entire populace of Grimmauld pace and then some. Maybe it was due to the shock of being in such a bizarre situation or desperation to be believed, but they had just given up very valuable knowledge and information that could turn out to be the key to destroy them quicker. A part of Harry- and most likely Ginny too- had the idea that they wouldn't be around for very long; he had assumed that they would spend a few days there and then they would either find a way or would be rescued and that they would be the end of that. Memories would have been obliviated, all traces of their future existence would be gone and none would be any the wiser. But then, why did they immediately tell?

While they had hoped to be gone soon, another part of Harry- the part that usually landed him in trouble- recognised that if they got all of the complicated stuff out of the way first, then they would have been free to take advantage of being sent back in the past. The quicker they told the quicker plans could be made in order to stop many terrible instances from happening. But was that necessarily true? They were now stuck in the past permanently with no way of getting back and a baby on the way. People had been told and already the future was changing. Soon he wouldn't be able to be of use and give more information because he would have none; the future would be a surprise and he would have to go along and try and win just like he had the last time.

People had taken vows and people had been obliviated, but that didn't mean that something disastrous wouldn't happen that could end many lives. It was a simple fact; it had the feeling of inevitability that normally only death had. Something was coming and something was going to happen.

And Harry didn't know if he would be able to stop it.

His musings and Hermione's further questions were cut off by the sound of the sorting ending and Dumbledore standing up for his speech. Pushing those thoughts back into the back of his head with a sigh, Harry turned his head to listen as the Old Wizard began to speak.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Seeing the faces of his old students and his new first years had never failed to put a smile on Albus' face and a twinkle in his eyes.

Never failed, except for tonight.

Albus like to think that he was fairly good at putting a mask into place when faced with situations- it came with the responsibilities of being the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the Leader of the Light. In any case, his mask was firmly in place tonight as he looked around, not betraying the feelings of nervousness that hung in the air around the staff table.

He could tell that his staff still didn't really know what to expect or what to think but he trusted them to not allow it to distract them from their jobs. Still, he couldn't help but feel he had missed something obvious, looked over something that could prove to be monumentally important...

He had no longer to dwell on it though as McGonagall had soon wrapped up the Sorting and expectant faces looked up at him. He rose and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, the warm feeling he got in his stomach spreading as he saw the light in the students' eyes.

He had to keep faith that everything would go well this year and that the plans they had put in place would work. He had to hope that Voldemort would be thwarted sooner than he would have been. He had to hope that his students would not fall under the thumbs of the Ministry. He had to hope that his favourite pupil and his wife and child would make it out of this war safe and sound.

He had to hope. But whether his hopes would be realised or simply end up being an old man's dream, he wasn't entirely sure.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ron lounged in his usual squishy armchair by the fire as he opened a chocolate frog. He and Hermione had been told to keep the students in the Common Room after the feast so McGonagall could come and 'deliver an announcement of utmost importance'. Of course everyone had grumbled about it- including the red haired boy himself- but a stern look from Hermione has them all waiting around, whether they were stood up, in the chairs around the rooms or lolloped about on the floor. Hermione stood in front of the fire wringing her hands as she bit her lip. Ron rolled his eyes at her as he flicked his chocolate frog card (Newt Scamander) on the coffee table.

"We already know what she's going to say," he reminded her bluntly. She shot him a glare before turning back to look at everyone in the rooms.

"We only know that she's going to tell everyone that Harry and Ginny won't be staying in the tower anymore! We don't know what she'll say about why they won't be!" she hissed at him. Ron looked at her incredulously, not understanding why she was so worried.

"Harry said something about an illness-"

"Harry says a lot of things! Besides, there are so many things wrong with saying they have an illness, I mean what if..."

The beginnings of her ramblings were cut off by the sound of the Portrait opening. Hermione's mouth closed with a snap as she whirled around and stood straighter as the transfiguration teacher strode into the room. Ron sighed before pulling himself up to stand next to her, muttering about crazy women as he did so.

McGonagall surveyed her students with her beady eyes as they all sat straighter and the chatter quietened down. Her gaze finally landed on Granger and Weasley and she couldn't help but raise a stern eyebrow as she took in the scruffy image of Ronald compared to the neat and tidiness of Hermione. Weasley didn't seem to take the hint, though the older woman was sure Hermione's elbow might help move the message along.

"If I may have your attention please," she called out over the last few mutterings. She made eye contact with Weasley twins and ignored the jaunty smiles they returned.

"As you have no doubt have heard, I have an announcement to make. The other Heads of Houses are currently giving their own Common Rooms a talking to so you are not in trouble, but the matter at hand does affect us more."

A few mutters and shrugs of shoulders were exchanged and she waited until they were all looking back at her.

"Just before the start of term, we received a few owls about a small number of students who seemed to have been ill. Naturally we offered the services of Madam Pomphrey and she screened the students affected. Most of them were cleared as fine and the tests carried out on them showed nothing more than a common case of the flu. However, two of the students seem to have caught a currently unknown illness."

"Well how does that affect us more than the other houses?" Lee Jordon shouted out when she paused in her speech for a moment. A chorus of agreement rang out. McGonagall glared at him.

"Mr Jordan, perhaps if you showed some patience and self-control I would have told you without your interruption." She levelled him with one last look before turning back to the common room. "We do not believe that the students in question are of any danger to you and the rest of the students so they will have normal class schedules and mealtimes with the entire student population. However, to minimise any small risk there may be, the two students- who are of Gryffindor house- will not be residing in the tower for the foreseeable future."

An outbreak of mutterings broke out across the room as many people turned around to talk with their friends and neighbours, all of them looking around and speculating who the two were and if they (the Gryffindor house mates) should be thankful that the infected ones were being kept away.

Ron grimaced while Hermione bit her lip. The gossip mill of Hogwarts was going to have a field day, especially when their friends and sister were named. Ginny was already fretting about the charms on her stomach and people finding out; the extra attention was just going to make it feel worse.

"So who are they then?" a lone voice came from the crowd, followed by murmured agreements as once again all eyes settled on the Scottish witch. McGonagall took a deep breath before deciding that the best course of action would be to simply get it over and done with.

"Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter."

There weren't any noises this time. Instead, the occupants of the room shared meaningful and hesitant looks with one another. All of them were pretty much thinking the same thing but no one quite had the courage to voice their suspicions in front of their Head of House. They also didn't want to be singled out and treated like an outsider if they said something that the others weren't thinking- they couldn't read minds after all.

Minerva stood still for a moment before nodding her head once and turning a meaningful gaze on the two fifth year prefects. She noticed that they were both flickering their eyes to the other students, anxiety shining through their whole stance. If she was honest with herself, Minerva felt the same worry. After all, it was rare that her house was this quiet and it usually meant that trouble was coming if her lions said nothing about a big announcement that she made. With a small and resigned sigh, McGonagall took one last look around before swiftly leaving the common room.

Even when the professor had left the room still no one spoke. It was like they were all daring each other to go first, to say what they thought needed to be said. Ron, Hermione and the twins waited on tenterhooks as they carefully watched their housemates.

Eventually, one brave (or foolish) person spoke up.

"Well we all know what's gone on here, don't we?"

Hundreds of heads swivelled round to meet the smug and arrogant grin of Cormac McLaggen as he lazily leaned back against the brick wall of the stairs. Again, no one said anything as they all waited for him to go on. He shot them all a superior smirk before he straightened up and stood in what he clearly thought was a majestic stance.

"I mean I don't know about you lot, but I heard she broke up with Corner on the train. Saying she was already with Potter." He raised an eyebrow suggestively. The twins sat up straighter and sent him identical looks of cold distain.

"And what does that-"

"Have to do with anything?" they asked him. The few people around them meekly looked down at the ground and avoided their eyes- rarely had they seen the twins so serious and frightening. They may have been thinking somewhere along the lines of what McLaggen was saying, but they thought he was an idiot for ignoring the warnings he was clearly being given.

The idiot sneered down his nose at them.

"Well we've all seen how she has _pined_ for him," his face clearly showed his disgust, "what's to say that she didn't give him a... _special welcome _and spread around more than a little joy."

Jaw dropped at the fact that he had the audacity to say that in front of half of Ginny Weasley's brothers. Said boys had all leaped to their feet and pointed their wands at the git; the twins with ugly expressions on their faces and Ron with his face as red as his hair.

"You want to try saying that again?" the twins growled in unison. Ron seemed to be beyond words, his hand clenched so tightly around his wand his whole hand went white.

Hermione stepped up beside her friend and placed her hand on his arm all the while glaring at the arrogant blonde. "Detention with Filch on Friday. And I'll be telling McGonagall about this." She hissed at him in contempt.

McLaggen opened his mouth to viciously reply when the Irish twang of Seamus Finnegan rang out in the tension filled silence.

"Ah shut it, McLaggen. Just 'cause you can't get laid doesn't mean ya can harp on about stuff like that all the time," he rolled his eyes at the older boy. Hermione sent a quick smile of thanks at him, though it soon faded as the sandy haired boy carried on.

"He probably got taken away from us 'cause of what happened in June. Try and stop him from lying his head off all the time, scaring everyone for no good reason. Ginny probably backed him up loudly or summat, that's why she's gone too."

People nodded in agreement and some even spoke out, backing Harry's dorm mate up. This did nothing for Ron's temper.

"What the hell? You really believe all the shit that the _Prophet_ is coming out with?" he demanded as his whole body went rigid. The entire room quietened again as they all stopped to watch as Ron became angrier by the second.

"Well what else are we supposed to think?" Seamus replied hotly. His jaw stuck out defiantly.

"You could believe what Dumbledore said last term! You could believe Harry, the guy you've shared a dorm room with for years! Do you really think that he'd lie about something like that?" all of this was said in a loud yell that made the first years flinch. Fred and George moved to stand beside their brother with their arms folded over their chests and Hermione still had her hand on his arm.

"He would if he were trying to cover something up!"

Dean looked at his irate friend in confusion. Yes, he had known that Seamus' mum hadn't wanted him to come back to Hogwarts this year, but he didn't know how deeply his best friend blamed Harry for it. Personally he didn't believe all the rubbish the Prophet was sprouting off about Harry, he had spent years in the same dorm as him and he had never known him to lie before so he figured the Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't start now and especially with something as big.

"What do you mean Seamus?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what his mate was thinking.

Seamus leaped to his feet and levelled a glare with Ron, as though he was daring him to stop him from saying what was on his mind. "I mean that all I know is Harry and Cedric were the last ones in the running for being the Champion and Cedric ended up dead. We don't know what happened, but what's not to say that Harry wanted to make sure he would definitely win?"

And with that last statement, the Irish wizard stormed off up to his dormitory, leaving behind an air of horrified disbelief and a furious best friend who had to be physically restrained.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

Ginny couldn't sleep.

Just like she said she would do, once they had gotten into their rooms, that were simply decorated in a style similar to Gryffindor tower, she had taken the time to have a long and relaxing bath before climbing into bed with her husband and talking quietly until they were too sleepy to carry on a conversation. It had been just what she needed. It had allowed her to finally let go of the anxieties that had plagued her all day.

It had been hours ago.

And now she was lying here, wide awake and ignoring the urge to scream in frustration.

Instead she let out a huff of air as she turned onto her back, her hand automatically going to her stomach where she immediately felt her little boy kick in greeting.

"So you're awake too, huh?" she whispered to the active baby as she slowly stroked her stomach. "What a pair we are, ay?" She received a kick as though in agreement which made her chuckle under her breath.

Sighing out loud again she turned her head to look at Harry. He was sleeping peacefully on his stomach, his head turned towards her and his arms under his pillow. She rolled her eyes in half annoyance.

"Looks like daddy doesn't have the same problem we do. Lucky git." She snorted to herself. Her eyes were itchy with tiredness yet her brain seemed aflame with thoughts. Her legs kicked in irritation, causing the covers to be flung further down the bed. Harry frowned slightly in his sleep as he burrowed down with the warmth.

"I blame him you know," she informed her bump as she glanced down at it, a playful yet slightly bitter lilt in her words. "Him and his stupid sperm. You don't see him having to carry around another person, do you? No, he gets to swannie around, playing Quidditch while I pee every five minutes. Just because he wasn't born with ovaries."

She paused for a moment before looking back down and patting a spot where her baby boy had just nudged again. "Don't worry though, you can stay all nice and warm in there. Mummy will look after you."

Well, she hoped, anyway. She had no idea what to expect for the next year. She would be leaving just after the Christmas holidays anyhow and staying with Sirius at Grimmauld place. It had been a plan that they had all agreed on considering the facts that her baby was due in February and it would be getting harder to keep her bump unnoticeable by then. Plus knowing their luck, little James may decide he wants to come early and she definitely was not going to have her baby in the middle of the Great Hall... that was sure to get a few looks.

Chuckling slightly to herself as she imagined the looks on her classmates' faces as she gave birth in the middle of lunch time, Ginny reached down and grabbed the quilt again and pulled it up to her chin as she rolled back over onto her side. Harry, as though sensing her presence even in sleep, stretched an arm out to her and she snuggled into his side, baby James nestled between the two warm bodies.

"Everything will be okay. You'll see."

And with her tremulous thoughts finally settled aft6er hours of angst, Ginny curled up protectively and fell easily asleep.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

People had the urge to resist murdering annoying idiots every day. It was quite a common thing, actually. However, Harry was sure that nobody had ever wanted to kill hundreds at once as he currently did.

It was the whispering. It was the pointing. It was the unveiled comments about his sanity and mindlessness of the people that surrounded him that had him gritting his teeth. This was nothing new, however so Harry tried to ignore it as best he could.

No, what unsettled and annoyed him more was the silence of the Gryffindors.

He had woken up feeling apprehensive as he disentangled himself from Ginny. They had spoken to one another and decided that the best way to get through this was to simple act as if nothing had happened: after all, they were well aware that they were going to be the source of gossip for the next few days- it wasn't everyday that two students were removed from the dorms due to a mysterious illness after all.

But this was something new. Even the teachers were looking worried.

Three of the house tables were full of chatter; the Hufflepuffs smiled at one another as they chatted amicably, the Ravenclaws passed a few comments over their text books and the Slytherins whispered quietly to each other. The Gryffindor table was completely silent.

This had never happened before. The Gryffindor table was partially famed for being noisy at meal times and this bizarre lack of noise was disconcerting. Each and every member of the house kept their heads down and only glanced anxiously at one another, as though hoping someone would break the tension or would be brave enough to explain their silence. Harry couldn't help but notice that they all particularly avoided his eyes, including the twins, Ron and Hermione.

Soon the other houses noticed as well and their lively chatter turned to furtive whispers and pointed fingers. Feeling his blood pressure rise in irritation and anger, Harry gritted his teeth and let his fork fall to his plate with a clatter. Some people at the table flinched.

"Oh for goodness sake," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"I know! It's completely ridiculous!" Harry grumbled. His eyes glared suspiciously at the people at the table around him.

"No, no, not that!" she replied quickly. "Umbridge!"

"What about-"

Harry cut himself off as he looked towards the staff table and saw the toad staring at them. There was something especially unpleasant about the way she was staring, other than the fact that she was doing so. It was slightly hungry, yet expectant at the same time. But there was something else as well, something that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on.

"She keeps on staring at us and she doesn't stop!" Ginny whispered frantically as she leaned into his side and spoke in his ear. "It's like she's waiting for something and I don't like it."

Harry made a noise of agreement but didn't take his eyes of the Ministry hag. Their eyes stayed locked on each other and as they stared, a sickening smirk slowly formed on her face.

"Harry, what do we do?"

It was the distress in her voice that finally caused his gaze to break as he looked down at her. Her eyes were filled with panic and she was biting her bottom lip. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer- for both reassurance and protection from Umbridge's bland eyes.

"I'll sort something out." He answered her without really thinking. She shot him a worried look.

"How? What are you going to do?"

What was he going to do? His mind was working a mile a minute, plans as unlikely as the next flitting through his mind. He shook his head as he stood up.

"I don't know." He simply said before he dropped a kiss on the top of her head and walked out of the great hall, painfully aware of Ginny's anxious eyes and Umbridge's triumphant smirk.

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

The day seemed to go by slowly as Harry anticipated going to Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was practically itching to get to his final lesson of the day, a plan already formed in mind. He kept on looking at his replaced watch that was on his wrist, ignoring the looks Ron and Hermione gave him. Finally, after a gruelling period of Potions with Snape (Harry made a mental note to tackle the dark haired man later (theoretically, not physically)), Harry found himself walking at a brisk pace towards the classroom that had hosted many failed teachers- excluding Lupin, of course. He raced in and settled down in his seat, taking his things out of his bag for the lesson. Hermione and Ron followed slowly, each giving him a confused and odd look.

"**Well, good afternoon!" she said, when finally the whole class had sat down. **Harry had to repress the urge to roll his eyes. He had almost forgotten how superior she had acted in class.

**A few people mumbled "good afternoon" in reply.**

"**Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge**, a condescending look of disappointment on her face**. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge'. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"**

"**Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her. **Harry refused point blank to cooperate and only gave her a blank look when she caught his eye again. Strangely, she seemed to pretend not to notice his small display of defiance.

"**There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."**

**Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry**, who hadn't even bothered to get his wand out of his robe pocket, merely slouched down in his seat further. His book and quill were out in front of him but he made no move to pick either of them up. Again Umbridge ignored him. The Boy-Who-Time-Travelled frowned; part of his plan was to act as insolent as he could in hopes to get Umbridge as annoyed as possible. Clearly it wasn't going well.

**Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:**

_**Defense Against the Dark Arts: A Return to Basic Principles**_

"**Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her.** "**The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year...**

This time Harry did roll his eyes. He tuned her gratingly sweet voice out and stared at her, entertaining thoughts of her dying many horrible deaths. Hopefully she would notice and somehow guess what he was thinking...

However, as she turned to write her 'aims' on the bored, it became apparent that she either hadn't or was still ignoring him.

**For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims**- apart from Harry who still refused to cooperate- **she asked, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"**

**There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.**

"**I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge'. So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"**

"**Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.**

'_Dear Merlin,_' Harry thought contemptuously, '_does she even listen to herself speak? She treats us all like five year olds... Maybe she's so old herself that she forgot that she was actually once our age..._'

She told the class that there was no need to talk and that they should read the first chapter in silence. She finished with a sugary smile that most grimaced at before striding round her desk and sitting down. Her expression was fixed as she placed her folded hands on her desk and tilted her head in what could be seen as an innocent way. Harry knew better as he glared at her. He mimicked her position, blatantly showing that he was not going to open his book. He stared at her and she at him, the same weird look in her eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end yet he did not break the gaze; Ginny was right to be worried though, a small part of his mind whispered. He shoved the voice aside and focused on the hated woman in front of him.

At first nobody in the class seemed to notice the exchange as they read the dull book. Some of them didn't even bother taking in the words as their eyes stared motionlessly at the page, their hands periodically turning a page. Eventually though people looked up and noticed Harry Potter sitting with his book open, glaring at the teacher. Hermione was among one of the first, having not opened her book herself and she soon raised her hand in the air as Harry knew she would. He had not expected the apprehensive looks she kept on shooting him though. He felt a bizarre urge to grin at his friend as he wanted to point out the hypocrisy of her look; after all, she was not reading either. Then again, she was not locked in some peculiar staring contest with her professor...

Soon enough though, **more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye **and Harry's silent daytime vigil **rather than struggle on with 'Basics for Beginners'.**

**When more than half the class were staring at **the two Gryffindor students** rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.**

"**Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her. **She completely ignored Harry once again who was beginning to get annoyed. A familiar wave of anger passed over him and he gritted his teeth. '_Ignorant cow..._'

"**Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.**

"**Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."**

"**I've got a query about your course aims," said Hermione.**

**Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.**

"**And your name is?"**

"**Hermione Granger," said Hermione.**

"**Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.**

"**Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."**

**There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard. **Harry almost shook his head at the surrealist of the moment- it was like being in a play where you knew all of your lines off by heart.

"**Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"**

"**We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly **as though he had only just realised what was going on. Questioning murmurs ran around the room and for some inexplicable reason, Umbridge's eyes flitted towards Harry before looking away again. Harry frowned once more; it was almost as if she was waiting for him to speak up.

"**Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. -?"**

"**Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.**

**Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. **Harry shot his hand into the air as well. '_Might as well give her what she wants. It might help put my plan into motion_'.** Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment **with an exultant grin **before she addressed Hermione.**

"**Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"**

"**Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"**

"**Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge, in her falsely sweet voice. **For the first time, Harry noticed her eyes narrow at his bushy haired friend. If he was a dog, his hackles would have raised as he remembered that once upon in his time-their future- Umbridge was once the head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.

"**No, but -"**

"**Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way -"**

"**What use is that?" said Harry loudly**, repeating the words he had said long ago**. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a -"**

"**Hand, Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge. **Her eyes twinkled in a sort of evil impression of Dumbledore. Harry pushed aside the gnawing, warning feeling in his stomach. He had to do this.

**Harry thrust his fist in the air. Again, Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him, but now several other people had their hands up, too. **Harry was happy to notice that this seemed to greatly annoy the toad.

"**And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.**

"**Dean Thomas."**

"**Well, Mr. Thomas?"**

"**Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free."**

"**I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"**

"**No, but -"**

**Professor Umbridge talked over him. "I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth. **Harry snorted under his breath.** "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."**

"**If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean angrily, "he was the best we ever -"**

Harry couldn't remember ever feeling this grateful towards his dorm mate. He had almost shot out of his seat as the anger grew within him. '_Wait! Remember the plan..._'

He listened practically on the edge of his seat as the class argued with their professor. He thought he might have physically glown with giddy joy as he watched Umbridge become more rattled and more infuriated with his class mates shouted out questions. He seized his chance to start his 'big finale' when Parvati asked about them only doing the spell work in their exams without practicing in class first.

"**I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough -" **Umbridge began to explain with barely concealed frustration before Harry butted in once again, still repeating lines from his memory.

"**And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.**

**Professor Umbridge looked up.**

"**This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.**

"**So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting for us out there?"**

"**There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter." **She spoke with the air of trying to explain that the sky was not green to a mentally ill patient. This only fuelled the strange anger within Harry who had begun to shake with the repressed emotion. A small part of him wondered at his worse-than-last-time reaction, but he continued on.

"**Oh, yeah?" said Harry. His temper, which seemed to have been bubbling just beneath the surface all day, was reaching boiling point.**

"**Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" enquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.**

"**Hmm, let's think…" said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice. "Maybe… Lord Voldemort!"**

**Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool.**

**Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.**

"**Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."**

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly in thought; a few point being taken away was not nearly enough.

**The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry. **Hermione was shooting him frantic warning looks. Ron stared at him like he was mad. Perhaps he was.

"**Now, let me make a few things quite plain."** **Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk. **Harry's mind mentally added webs between them.

"**You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead -"**

"**He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"**

'"**Mr-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. **However, her voice was not as harsh as it should have been. It was almost as if she wanted him to continue...

**"As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."**

"**It is NOT a lie!" said Harry. "I saw him, I fought him!"**

"**Detention, Mr. Potter**-**" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. **

Harry's expression showed nothing but disgust towards the woman but inwardly he was celebrating.

That had been his plan- get Umbridge mad enough to give him a detention. Simple, and easily achievable. It was not an original plan, but it was the best he could come up with. The time traveller figured that if he had detention with her then she would focus on him and her torturous ways of punishment rather than on his wife and the knowledge of their unborn child. Harry did not care about being her number one target (he had many times before after all) but he did not want her going anywhere near Ginny. He didn't even want her thinking of his wife. He did not care if she made him use a blood quill, he did not care about the upcoming pain of his detention and he did not care about once again being given the scar on the back of his hand that would read '_I must not tell lies_'. He did not care that he was somehow 'sacrificing' himself; it would in the end, to use Dumbledore's youthful words, be for the Greater Good. He could handle the evil woman and anything she cared to throw at him. It would be worth it in the end.

His mental musings and self-congratulations were brought to a tremendous stop as her next words crashed into his consciousness with the force of a speeding bullet.

"-with Professor McGonagall tomorrow night. Let's hope she will be able to make you learn your lesson."

And with that she chirped at the class to carry on reading in a perfectly happy voice as two words struggled out of the mess that now filled Harry's stilted brain.

'_wait... WHAT?_'

**LMMRLMMRLMMR**

**A/N 2: There you have it! Bet you weren't expecting that! You all hate me for these cliff hangers, don't you? :P They won't go away though- I am a firm believer that every chapter should end with a cliff hanger of some sort, so I think I've been very nice so far... Oh, and I'm sorry if any northern slang wound up in here... I come from a town about half an hour away from Manchester, so I apologise. My friend from London normally gives me weird looks when I talk because she can't understand a word I say to her!...**

**I hope the fight with Seamus was okay. It had to go like the books, but of course Harry wouldn't have been there and I think maybe Seamus would have been more outspoken because of that. Maybe it was a bit extreme but oh well.**

**I am sorry for taking so long :/ I just literally haven't had the time- I get up, go to school, come home, do about 8 hours straight of homework and then go to bed. That happens like every day. I've only been able to write during my rare free time which has been minimal and even then I haven't had any inspiration. Plus I suffer from severe clinical depression which makes it hard to muster up enthusiasm sometimes. I will be able to update towards the end of this month hopefully then I will try my best after that. I officially leave high school forever on the 20****th**** June so my updates will be much more frequent from then on!**

**Because you are anonymous, I should like to reply to 'ginbug' here: First of all, your reviews make me feel special whenever I read them haha! Thanks for the vibes and your welcome for the name mention and for the one in this chapter hehe :P Was it me that made you excited when you wrote your review? Haha, you'll just have to wait to see what Ginny may or not do to Cho... ;) She hormonal and a Weasley and Michael had just basically called her a slag- you can't blame her for that. I'm actually quite honoured and astounded that you love my version of Harry so much! It made me laugh when you told me why hahaha. Hopefully I won't disappoint you... and he may get even hotter... we may never know... (well, I do but that is besides the point!) Thanks for your review!**

**Did you know that apparently, the first years all take a 'magical theory' class? You can also do music at Hogwarts as well as Alchemy, Muggle Art, earth studies, muggle music, xylomancy and Ghoul Studies? How come I have never heard of practically any of them being offered as classes?**

**I have no idea what will be in the next chapter... I know where I want to get to in this story, but not how to get there... is there anything you would like to see? Let me know!**

**Until next time mi amigos!**

**~LilMissMoonRay**


	11. Temporary HiatusSorry!

**Sorry, no update but an important Author's Note!**

**Be honest, most of you are getting fed up with my updating schedule and I am sorry for that but at the moment it cannot be helped.**

**I know I said I would have the next chapter up about 2 weeks ago, but to be hinest I ma having terrible writer's block. I know what is happening in about 3 chapters time, but I'm not sure how to get there and I have no idea what needs to go in the next chapters. I also don't have the time to write much at the moment.**

**This story is never going to be abandoned, I just need some time. Therefore I am telling you that I cannot update until after 20th June. **

**It sucks, I know, but I am about to finish sixth form and I truly need to revise for my exams. Most of you know how horrible this time of year is for updating, so hopefully you can understand. **

**The 20th June is the date of my last exam (english lit) and after that I shall be free forever and will have loads more time to write.**

**I am very sorry and I hope that you will not give up on me!**

**See you all soon!**

**LilMissMoonRay**


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